I Will
by tivaforever13
Summary: We don't know what Tony decided to write in his "I Will" list, but I have some ideas. Tags to 11x02 and anything before then.
1. Chapter 1

I Will

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**Disclaimer** – I don't own NCIS or the characters. I don't own the "I will" list idea.

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Tony sat on the plane for a while. He had a piece of paper that said "I will" at the top. He had writers block. He couldn't think of anything he needed to do for himself at the moment.

He was staring out the window and only remembering the last sight he had of Ziva. She had been standing out on the tarmac with a beautiful smile on her incredibly sad face. Tears were streaming down her face as her body was wracked with silent sobs that she was trying desperately to hold in.

His first idea came to him and he pressed his pen to the paper and wrote easily what he was thinking.

_1. I will deal with this properly._

Tony wasn't going to go back to his old habits of how he dealt with difficult things. He wouldn't turn to alcohol and having a new girl every other night. He was going to be brokenhearted, upset, and angry if he had to be. If he needed to, he would talk to someone about it. He had always used the alcohol instead of turning to someone. He could still use movies, but he would not use the alcohol, because in all honesty, it was extremely unhealthy.

There were three things that he knew had to be put on the list, but they were last. They had to stay last, because of the order of things. He wondered what else he could put there, and he knew, but he was wondering if it should be next or right before the last ones. He knew it had to be next, because it was important.

_2. I will wait for her._

Tony wasn't about to go and even try to give his heart to another woman. Ziva hadn't broken his heart, she had simply said that she needed to heal and see herself properly before she considered it. Besides, she loved him. It had taken Tony everything he had to deny it to himself for so long that admitting to himself that he loved Ziva took everything he had now. He wasn't about to let it go to waste, because if he was being honest, Gibbs rules made sense and rule five was that you don't waste good. This was definitely good.

He wrote down his next idea, because it had to happen. He needed to do this to continue on with a clean conscience as well.

_3. I will tell Gibbs the truth._

There were many things that he had kept from Gibbs over the last nine years. He had to go back and talk about the undercover mission and following Ziva and liking her the first moment he saw her. He had to go back and talk about the summer that Gibbs was in Mexico and when Jenny had died. He had to talk about Jeanne and Rivkin, because they were important steps. He had to talk to Gibbs about his resolutions that had ended up landing him in a terrorist training camp in Somalia. He had to talk about Paris with Gibbs. He had to talk about the night Mike Franks died with Gibbs. He had to talk about the elevator and the death of Eli David with Gibbs. He had to talk about Berlin and their resignation with Gibbs. He had to talk about how he had found Ziva before he said he found her. He had to tell Gibbs everything and that was going to be a long conversation, but he needed to come clean about all the things he had been hiding from his boss.

He knew that was going to be hard, because Gibbs didn't like to talk, but he figured his boss would be willing to talk. He wondered if Ziva would stay in contact with him at all. He wanted to and he had asked if she would. She had replied with it needing to be a clean break, but that was before they had said goodbye the way they had. He had another item on the list.

_4. I will always answer her when she talks._

That was important to him. He knew that he couldn't initiate the contact, because she had said she wanted a clean break from him and she wanted to do this alone. But, he was fairly certain she would call, text, and instant message at some point. Maybe even send a post-card. He would always answer her. He loved her. The last three things needed to be written down.

_5. I will talk about Paris._

_6. I will talk about Berlin._

_7. I will tell her I love her._

These seven things had taken Tony the entire plane ride, but his resolution to have his list done by the time the plane landed was complete. As he put the period at the end of item seven the planes wheels touched the tarmac in Washington, DC after a thirteen hour flight home. He was relieved and hurt at the same time. There was no more turning back, not that there had been once he was in the air, but it had felt like he could. Now it was final. He was alone and he had to stick to his list.

He climbed off the plane to find his boss standing on the tarmac waiting for him with a stern look on his face. His eyes were curious and in pain. Ziva had called him. Tony could tell by the look on his face. Ziva had called, but what had she said to him? Had she said enough for him to know what he needed to share? Would Gibbs still let him share?

Tony had a resolution in mind and he walked straight toward his boss, looking him straight in the eyes, determined to get this done and keep going on. He made his way slowly to his boss and stood in front of him, still holding his gaze.

"We need to talk, Jethro," Tony said, using his boss's first name for the first time since he had first met him when he was trying to decide what to call the man.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow and looked curious. He was so used to hearing Tony call him "boss" that this sudden change made him aware that this man was not only hurting, but turning to him as a friend and a father-figure that he needed in his life. Gibbs nodded a little.

"Okay," he said quietly. "My place."

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TBC

A/N – Here is my take, not that I'm happy about the ending of Ziva David on the show NCIS. But, it is what it is and I might as well make the most of it. I couldn't resist the thoughts that were roaming through my head with the approach of the first episode without Ziva in it. It will be a sad night for NCIS!


	2. Chapter 2

I Will

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The ride back to Gibbs house from the airfield was filled with silence. But, Tony hung onto his determination and still had it as he followed his boss down to the basement. Gibbs offered him a glass of bourbon, which Tony turned down, glancing down at the sheet of paper in his hand. Gibbs glanced at it too and his eyebrows were raised once more.

"I will deal with this properly. I will wait for her. I will tell Gibbs the truth. I will always answer her when she talks. I will talk about Paris. I will talk about Berlin. I will tell her I love her," he read out loud over his Senior Field Agent's shoulder.

Gibbs walked around and sat in front of Tony and looked him in the eyes, setting his own bourbon down, untouched so far, knowing that Tony was going to stick to this and deducing where the list had come from.

"Do you know what was on her list?"

Tony nodded. Of course he knew what was on her list, he had helped her with it. She was letting go of the badge. She was traveling without being chased. She was enjoying small things. She was giving back to the community. But it was the last few things on her list that had him choked up. She will go home when she is healed. She will see him again. She will do this for him. She will make a family.

There were tears in Tony's eyes. Gibbs could see that he was hurting.

"Her?" he asked. "Ziva?"

He nodded again. "Gibbs, I have to go in order," he said quietly.

"The truth in order, or the list in order?" Gibbs asked for clarification.

"Both," Tony said. "The first two are ongoing, so I can go onto the third."

"Telling me the truth," Gibbs finished for him. "What is there to tell?"

"Undercover, Mexico, Jenny, Jeanne, Rivkin, Somalia, Paris, Franks, the elevator, Eli, Berlin, resigning, and Tel Aviv," Tony said quietly, listing off all the things that he had hidden from Gibbs over the years.

Gibbs eyes were widened. He had obviously missed something huge with Tony and Ziva in the past, because he knew that his list had something to do with Ziva, more like it had everything to do with Ziva. Tony shook his head as Gibbs went to open his mouth.

"Our undercover mission together all those years ago was when I knew that she was the one for me, Gibbs," Tony said quietly. "That's when I knew that I couldn't live without this crazy Israeli Mossad ninja in my life. I knew it, but I didn't act on it. We didn't sleep together during the mission, because that was our jobs and we were both considered foreign operatives. And…. Well, some piece of me respected her in a way that I've never respected any other woman before in my life."

Gibbs nodded. "I know," he said quietly. "Or I assumed. What about Mexico?"

"Ziva and I were together while you were in Mexico during your retirement," he admitted. "We were together and had every intention of telling you until Mossad threatened my life. She called it off when that happened and even though she wouldn't say it, I knew that she was doing it because she cared, Gibbs. I knew she called it off because she didn't want me to die."

"You were together?" he asked. "Like a couple? Dating? Going to dinner, movies, flowers, the whole nine yards? Sleeping together?"

Tony nodded. "All of it," he whispered. "A lot of that last one."

"Explains the tension when I came back," Gibbs said with a nod. "Didn't see that one coming."

They were silent for a moment and then Gibbs looked up at Tony again. "She was right in saving your life."

"As she was right in saving yours," Tony retorted painfully.

Gibbs nodded. So, Ziva had told him that she shot Ari finally. That was good. Gibbs had talked to Ziva, but Ziva hadn't said much. She had only told him what was necessary and nothing more.

"Ziva called," Gibbs said. "She said to expect you, that you would want to talk. Did you tell her you were going to talk to me? Did you tell her what was on your list?"

"No," Tony whispered. "I didn't have a list when I left Tel Aviv, boss. I didn't tell her I was going to talk to you either. She knows me."

Gibbs nodded again. "Jeanne?"

"I was cheating on her," Tony said quietly, shaking his head. "Ziva and I couldn't stay away from each other. Jeanne and I didn't sleep together for long. I wanted Ziva and she was the only woman in my mind. She never found out, but Jenny did and she was furious. Do you remember her getting furious with me while I was with Jeanne during the whole la Grenouille mess?"

Gibbs nodded slightly. "You were cheating on someone that you were in a fake relationship with?" he asked for clarification.

Tony nodded and Gibbs burst into hysterical laughter. Tony was confused by this laughter. Gibbs, however, found this funny. Tony was not one for commitment usually, but he was always loyal to his job. He was having a fake relationship, which Gibbs had thought was the source of his growing up, when in reality he was not at all in that relationship, not from the work-angle or any other angle. He was so committed to Ziva by that point that he couldn't even sleep with Jeanne and it had brought them back together despite the threats from Mossad. Yes, this was funny to Gibbs.

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TBC


	3. Chapter 3

I Will

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"Jenny knew when she died?" Gibbs asked, finally reaching for his bourbon, and finishing laughing.

"Jenny knew the whole time," Tony admitted. "She was perceptive. Gibbs, what was so funny?"

"The fact that you were so totally committed to Ziva that you couldn't do an undercover assignment properly. I find it funny, but I certainly see how Jenny didn't," Gibbs said. "What's the truth about Jenny mean?"

"Ziva and I... autopsy," Tony said quietly. Gibbs chuckled at this and nodded in understanding.

"That's where you two vanished to for a long time," he said knowingly. "What about Rivkin?"

"Same thing as Jeanne," Tony admitted, going red.

"Wait! You and Ziva were sleeping together while she was supposed to be dating a Mossad Officer? Are you nuts?"

"Maybe," Tony said with a shrug. "Maybe. But… it's not like I could really resist by that point. He was an assignment, who she refused to sleep with, not that he didn't insist occasionally. Don't you remember him coming into NCIS angry sometimes, asking where Ziva had been the previous night?"

Gibbs shook his head, but was laughing again. "I missed so much. How? I know I'm better than this," he said to himself. "And it did affect your work and I was watching for something like this through all the years! Continue."

"Somalia," Tony said tensely. "I had to go."

"I know."

"I had every intention of not coming back," Tony told him.

"I know."

"But then I saw her."

"I know."

"And everything changed," Tony admitted. "I told her I couldn't live without her."

"I think she knew when she saw you," Gibbs said. "I didn't know you told her that."

"It was the truth," Tony said, tears forming in his eyes at the thought that he had just walked away from the best thing in his whole life only fifteen hours ago.

Gibbs reached out and grabbed Tony by the shoulders, pulling him out of the chair and pulling him into a hug. He could see that Tony was hurting. He could see that he was genuinely ripped apart by his decision to respect Ziva's wishes.

"Paris?" Gibbs asked as they sat back down.

"Didn't sleep with her," he said quietly. "Kissed her. Cuddled with her. Told her again that I couldn't live without her. Told her I wanted her to be happy. Shared a bed with her. But I didn't sleep with her."

"It's significant," Gibbs said. "You wanted to share the truth about the significance of it." Tony nodded. "Got it. What about Franks?"

"We went home to each other with every intention of going there again," Tony said. "But we didn't. We didn't go there and I know you assumed we did and I let you assume that. But, we didn't go there. She couldn't. I could see the fear in her eyes and I couldn't do that to her, even though she insisted she was ready. I was too afraid of hurting her."

Gibbs nodded. "You loved her then?"

Tony nodded quietly, but didn't speak more on that. He was a little uncomfortable with knowing that he had held it in for so long. "We kissed in the elevator here when the explosion went off. The reason we were there was because Ziva dragged us there, telling me she wasn't going anywhere without me. It was like her version of she couldn't live without me, but we still weren't ready to take that anywhere yet. And the deal with Eli is he knew. He knew how we felt about one another and he gave me his permission. He gave me his blessing to have his daughter, seeing that I was good for her."

"What about Berlin? I asked you about it once, tell me you didn't lie?"

"I did," Tony said quietly. "We danced. We made love. I don't mean just sex, boss. I mean we really made love. It scared both of us at how… how passionate it was and how real we felt in that moment."

"That why you were hurt over the Adam thing?"

"No," Tony said, shaking his head. "I was hurt by that because I told her she wasn't alone and she used the excuse of feeling alone. I get it. I forgave her for it. I was just angry when I heard her say that."

Gibbs nodded in understanding. "Resigning and Tel Aviv go together, don't they?"

"Yes," Tony said. "I had every intentions of getting the girl when we resigned. I even told Kate, my fish, about it. I found her at the end of August, boss. I was staying with her and I lied to you because I wanted more time with her. I needed more time. I still need more."

Gibbs understood. He pulled out a small sticky note. He handed it to Tony.

"She wanted me to give you that," he said quietly. "It's the phone number she can always be reached at. Her message is that she wants you to call whenever you want. She can't have a clean break. I don't know what that means, but then she said she loves you and wants to stay in contact with you, because she can't do this alone."

Tony's eyes were wide. He looked at the number and back at his boss.

"Did she mean…?"

"If you want her, you need to go get her, Tony," Gibbs said. "I'm leaving that up to you. I don't want to lose another agent, but I don't want you to end up like me. And the truth coming from you is telling me that you're on the right path to recovery. Go get her."

Tony smiled and stood up from his boss and realized that he needed a plane ticket. "Mind if I use your computer for a minute?"

"Go ahead. It's waiting for you," Gibbs said.


	4. Chapter 4

I Will

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Tony turned on the computer, but stopped as soon as the internet was opened. He picked up his phone and dialed the number that Gibbs had given him. He pressed the send button and waited. He heard it pick up on the other line but it was silent for a full minute before either of them spoke.

Tony had no idea what to say to her and he was sure that she had no idea what to say to him either.

"Tony?" she asked.

"I'm here," he said quietly.

"Can you take… a month… off work?" she asked. "I'm not ready to be without you and I want to get this done away from the things that tempt me."

"I can do whatever you need me to do," he said quietly into the phone. "Where are you sending me?"

"Tel Aviv," she said quietly. "Please."

"Are you sure, Ziva?"

"I can't… I can't live without you," she said, her voice breaking and cracking, sounding as though she were crying her eyes out.

"Count to a million, I'm on my way," he said into the phone and clicked the computer.

"Thank you," she said into the phone quietly.

"No, Ziva. Thank you," Tony said, just as quietly.

They hung up. Tony booked the flight. Only a few hours and he would be on another plane, going back to Israel to find Ziva, again. This felt too familiar. He was always traveling halfway around the world for her. Somalia. Paris. Berlin. Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv again. He was always traveling for her and he was too willing to do it. He would do it no matter what. But this time she was asking him to do it and that was what was different about it.

He went downstairs. "Boss?" he asked.

"Yes, Tony?" Gibbs asked, as he started working with some wood.

"What are you making?"

"I was thinking about a boat," he said quietly. "What's your question?"

"I need a month," he said. "Or more. I'm not sure."

"I can give you a month, or more," Gibbs said with a smirk on his face. "You need a ride to the airport tomorrow?"

"Yes. But… um… could I get a ride to Abby's now. I promised Ziva to explain to Abby," Tony said.

"I'll explain to her," Gibbs promised. "But, Tony…."

"Yea, Gibbs?"

"Don't lose touch with us, okay?"

"Okay," he nodded.

"Get some sleep. Couch is free."

Tony nodded and went back into the living room of his boss's house, where he was staying at the moment. He was happy. He was leaving for Tel Aviv in the morning. This was everything he ever wanted. He pulled out his paper one more time and added one more thing to his list.

_8. I will give her a family!_

He smiled and fell asleep where he was on the couch, nearly sitting up and knowing that his back was definitely going to hurt and that he wasn't going to get nearly enough sleep. But, this wasn't for work this time, this was for himself. He was doing it for him.

He woke too early, but Gibbs was up and looking at him. His hand was clutching a small necklace with a Star of David pendant on the end of it.

"I want to make a stop, boss," Tony said.

"I know," Gibbs said, noticing the way Tony clung to the necklace. "I know, Tony."

It was Tony's turn to raise his eyebrows. His boss never used his first name; never. He never called him Tony. He always called him DiNozzo. He wondered if a head-slap was coming or if he was just going to sit there smiling at him while he held onto Ziva's necklace, his piece of Ziva, he told himself.

"You got a long flight. Go shower and shave. Got to look good for the girl," Gibbs said smirking and chuckling. "I called Abby and McGee and told them I would be late."

"And?"

"They have no idea that you're home," Gibbs said. "I decided to leave that out."

"But, boss?"

"They'll get it DiNozzo," Gibbs said. "They'll understand."


	5. Chapter 5

I Will

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Finally! Finally after too many hours on that plane and not nearly enough sleep, not to mention the muscle spasms in Tony's back, the plane touched down in Tel Aviv, Israel. It took too long to book the flight. It took too long to fall asleep that night. It was too long for sleep. It took too long at the store and in the car with Gibbs. It took too long to finally say goodbye to Gibbs for a month, though it was entertaining to see the emotions running across his face and hear what he had to say. It took too long for the plane to take off. Too long for the flight (more than definitely). And now it was taking too long for the plane to come to a stop. Tony just wanted to find Ziva and wrap his arms around her and kiss her like there was no tomorrow. He remembered Gibbs' goodbye to him.

**_"You take care of her, you hear? And if I hear one sniff that you're not doing that, then I will have myself on the next flight to Tel Aviv and I will take care of you in an entirely different way," Gibbs said._**

**_For a man of few words, Gibbs certainly knew how to use them._**

**_"Don't worry. I have no intentions of every hurting Ziva," Tony said. "Not ever."_**

**_"Good. Go to her. She's your Shannon. Have a great month, Anthony," Gibbs said, his eyes filling with tears as he had to say goodbye to the man that was too much like a son to him._**

**_"I'll make you proud, Jethro," Tony replied quietly, his eyes also filling with tears._**

**_The two embraced in a hug and held onto each other tightly for only a moment and then Tony nearly ran to the plane, anxious to go back to Israel and find Ziva, his ninja._**

Finally the plane came to a halt and the passengers were allowed to undo their seatbelts. Tony only had a carryon bag; the very same that he had brought to Israel the first time. He pulled it down and stood in a line that took too long to move off the plane and onto the tarmac. As soon as he was on the stairs, he could see her and he couldn't wait to get her.

His face lit up when hers did. There was that brilliant smile she put on her face when he had last seen her and again her eyes were filled with tears. There were differences this time though. She was not wracked by silent sobs of goodbye this time and it was daytime. This was hello forever and not goodbye for now. It was a much better feeling. As soon as he was out of the line, he dropped his bag and ran to meet Ziva halfway between where she was and where he had been.

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug, kissing her on the lips and lifting her feet entirely off the tarmac for a moment. He set her down gently as their hands found each other's hair and faces. They were tangled in the moment and too happy to see each other, feeling like their separation had been eternal, rather than only a couple of days.

When they pulled apart their foreheads were rested together for a moment until someone tapped Tony on the shoulder. He turned his head to see Adam Eschel. He glared at him.

"Sorry to interrupt the sweet moment of reuniting the dynamic duo, but you left your bag on the tarmac and I wanted to return it to you. Someone was trying to make off with it," Adam said, placing the bag and Tony's feet and starting to walk away.

Tony grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "Thank you. For everything," Tony said. "I mean that."

Adam was surprised and so was Ziva. But, Ziva didn't know what Tony had asked Adam to do during the beginning of the summer and how much Adam had helped Tony when he had first arrived in Israel. Adam nodded slightly before speaking.

"Your welcome," he said quietly. "I knew, when I saw you two in Berlin. I knew how much she meant to you. I will not stand in the way of that. I get it."

Tony nodded to him and Adam nodded back and walked away. Ziva's eyes were confused as Tony grabbed his bag and started to walk away from the airfield with her, taking her hand as he went.

"I thought you did not like Adam?" she questioned.

"I think we might be able to get along," Tony said with a shrug. "He's not a bad guy."

"What made you change your mind?" Ziva asked, stopping them and looking into his eyes, more than confused by his latest opinion.

"He helped me in the beginning of the summer and the middle and the end," Tony said. "He went out of his way to help me. He helped me to locate you, where you were using that safe house that used to be your father's. And he helped me when I got to Tel Aviv the first time and even after Mossad stepped away from your search, he continued to help me. I owe him, I think."

"No," Ziva said. "I think that was his debt to you." Tony's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, not understanding what she was saying. "He took something that was yours and wanted to take more of it."

Tony got the message. He took Ziva. He wanted to take her heart, too. He nodded to her and pulled her into a hug, knowing that she had basically just confessed to him that she was always his. He held her tightly and tears came to his eyes and he couldn't hold them back. There were so many things that he wanted to say, but he had an order in which to go about this. Paris was first. Berlin was second. Then he could say what he really wanted to say to her.

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A/N – Wow! You guys are really fantastic! I can't believe the response that this story has gotten today! It was just a little drabble in my head and I thought I would put it on paper! I never realized how popular it would be! I am totally amazed! Thank you to everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed this story! You have made my day a million times better!


	6. Chapter 6

I Will

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They arrived at her old family home again and Ziva hesitated at the door. There was so much she wanted to say, but she just didn't know how. A couple days ago she was telling this man that she had to do this on her own, but as soon as the plane took off and she could no longer control the tears, for hours, she realized what a mistake she had made. She had to get him back to her.

Sure, she still had a desire to do this by herself, but being without Tony was not an option and having him by her side while she did this made her feel stronger, safer, and better prepared for this. It was significant in a way that she hadn't understood in the past. She had never really felt this way about anyone and let it show before. She was letting it show now.

She turned to Tony and leaned up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his lips, knowing that her words would have failed her in every language that she spoke if she was to try to express her feelings right now. The best form of communication that these two always had was body language and she was damned if she wasn't going to use it now.

He pulled her into him, getting the message. She was a little more than grateful that he had come, but a part of her was afraid of being that open with anyone, even someone she trusted as much as Tony. This was new territory for both of them, but they both wanted it and they both wanted it to work out.

When they pulled apart, Tony stroked her cheek with his thumb. "I have a list, too, you know," he said quietly and reached his hand into his pocket.

First he pulled out the golden chain which held the Star of David on it. He clasped it around her neck. At first she tried to protest.

"No. That's where it belongs when we are together," Tony said quietly. "That's where it should be when we're together."

She nodded to him, understanding his words and placing her hands on his chest and then resting her head there. He looked deep into her eyes.

"So, how are you going to travel now? I think you wanted to travel on your own," Tony asked her.

"I said travel without being chased. If we agree to travel together then neither of us is chasing the other and it is okay," Ziva said. "I would like to travel with you. But, before I do that, I want to enjoy the small things and give back to the community. That way we can enjoy some time here before we travel. If it is okay with you?"

"I love it wherever you are," Tony said honestly, holding her tight in his arms.

"What is on your list? Anything you can do here?"

"Well, I already have to cross one thing off," Tony said quietly. "I guess I can cross the first two off also."

"What are the things you've already done, and so fast?" Ziva asked.

"I will deal with this properly. I refused the bourbon that Gibbs offered me, Ziva. I was fully prepared to be a brokenhearted man until you came home," Tony said. "I will wait for her… turns out I didn't have to wait very long. Oh, there's another one I can cross off: I will always answer her when she talks. You left me a message with Gibbs and I answered it."

"Yes, you did. But, what is the one you are not mentioning?" she asked.

Tony flinched a little. He was sure he should have asked her before sharing that with Gibbs, but it was already done and he moved forward with a clean slate and conscious. "I will tell Gibbs the truth."

She flinched too. "How did he react to all of it? Did you tell him all of it?"

"I told him everything. The undercover mission, his time in Mexico, the deal with Jeanne, the night after Jenny, the deal with Rivkin, my own secrets about Somalia, Paris, the night Franks was killed, the elevator, my secret about your father, Berlin, when we resigned and when I came here," Tony explained quietly.

"I do not know about Somalia or my father," Ziva said, stepping away from him a little and looking at him curiously.

"I will tell you if you want to hear it," Tony said and Ziva nodded. "I had no intentions of making it out of Somalia until I saw you, Ziva. I was going there for revenge and like I said, I couldn't live without you. I didn't want to go home after Somalia. But, then, you were alive and I had to get out of there with you."

Ziva nodded in understanding, stepping back to Tony. "I get it," she whispered. "What about my father?"

"He found me when he was visiting you in January," Tony said quietly. "He found me and he told me that he knew how we felt about each other. He gave me his blessing for everything. Ziva, he told me something that I'm not sure if you knew…."

"He was sick," Ziva said. "I found it in his medical file at Mossad many months ago. I also know he told you, because it was written that you knew. So I knew he talked to you and I figured there was more motive in talking to you than just telling you that he was sick. He really… he gave you his blessing?"

"Yes," Tony said.

Ziva was awestruck. Her eyes were wide, but there was a smile spreading across her face and she couldn't resist kissing Tony in her happiness. Tony held her tightly in his arms, knowing how much this meant to Ziva and knowing how much this meant to their new relationship… or old relationship, depending on which way you looked at it.

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A/N – I want to thank everyone again for the reviews, follows, and favorites. You are all awesome! I am so glad to hear that everyone is enjoying this story!


	7. Chapter 7

I Will

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They finally pulled away from the kiss, both breathing heavily and clinging to the other like there was no tomorrow. Tony was holding Ziva directly against his body and both of them were aching for more, but they weren't done with their conversation yet.

"So, what made you change your mind?" Tony asked quietly.

"When you left… the kiss… the emotions… I could not deal with it," Ziva admitted. "I knew that I made a mistake. As much as I want to be able to do this on my own, you are too much a part of me, Tony. I know that you won't go away from my past like others might. I know that you'll stand by my side. I know that you'll be there for me and let me having peace when I need it."

Tony nodded quietly and looked into her eyes, their foreheads still pressed together. He pressed his lips to hers once more and held her closer to him, lacing his fingers through her curly hair. He pulled back one more time, this conversation was going to be very long if they couldn't stop kissing, but it was more than worth it.

"What made you decide to come back?" Ziva asked.

"I couldn't live without you," Tony said honestly. "I've said it before and I meant it, Ziva. I can't live without you."

Ziva nodded and this time she pulled him into a kiss and they got a little lost. When they pulled apart again they were pressed so close together that they could feel each other's heartbeats and they were shaking with anticipation.

"We have to talk about Paris and Berlin," Tony said quietly.

"I meant what I said in Paris," Ziva said quietly, only whispering. "I know you heard me, even though you were pretending to be asleep."

Tony nodded and thought back to it.

**_They settled down again after Tony comforted her nightmare and Tony held her tightly in his arms, with her head resting on his chest. There were still tears coming out of her eyes, but they were slow and quiet now. She was much calmer. He relaxed as he realized that she was really going to be okay and he closed his eyes, hoping to catch a little sleep before they had a flight home with a witness that was in danger tomorrow._**

**_As he drifted off, Ziva lifted her head up. He kept his breathing steady wondering what she was going to say to him, since that was the feel he got from her movement._**

**_"I couldn't live without you either," she whispered quietly into the night. "My heart has always been yours. And, it will be again, when I am healed enough to give it."_**

Tony smiled at the memories. They had kissed and cuddled that night and then she had said that to him and it had made his heart swell. It was making his heart swell again and he was kissing her before he knew what to say or do. He couldn't resist when he knew that she had meant every word of what she said in Paris.

"I did not intend to give you my heart before I was healed of my past, Tony," Ziva said once they were resting their foreheads together again. "But things have an odd way of working themselves out. Berlin, though, that was different. I was remembering the last dance that I shared with my father, when I was still a child, because we used to dance all the time."

"What did he say to you that put that look in your eyes and then directed it toward me?" Tony asked curiously, pulling his forehead away from hers to get a better view of her eyes.

"He said that someday I would dance with a man who deserved my love," Ziva nearly whispered.

"And you thought of that while dancing with me?" Tony asked and Ziva nodded.

"I am, and always have been yours Tony," Ziva whispered. "I love you."

Tony smiled and whispered back to her, "Ani ohev otach."

Ziva nearly melted in his arms and pressed her lips to his once more. This time it was very heated as their tongues tangoed together smoothly. Her hands grabbed at his back and pulled him all the way to her and his tangled through her hair and one made its way down her back.

Ziva pulled him, stepping backward and further into the small house that she was staying in for the time being. She pulled him back toward her bedroom and kicked the door open, without letting go of Tony in the process. He kicked it closed behind him as they backed their way toward the bed, beginning to shed their clothes as they went.

They didn't hesitate, but they didn't rush either. This was purely about them and what they wanted and needed. They needed each other and there was no rush, because they had forever and they both knew it. They were enjoying a little piece of heaven right then and their hearts were no longer hurting from the absence of each other. They were filled with joy and love and that was what mattered to both of them. They needed to be with each other and they both knew it.

* * *

A/N – More great responses! Thank you so much! I was honestly going to leave the story off with their reunion, but you guys have inspired me to get more of this story out there! Thank you!


	8. Chapter 8

I Will

* * *

Tony awoke the next morning, a little disoriented. He had been having the most wonderful dream, or so he thought. He was fully aware that his arms were wrapped around someone and that her soft skin was pressing into him and he was entirely naked. His eyes flew open and he saw a mass of brown curls in front of him. He inhaled deeply, hoping with all his heart that he was actually awake and he wasn't in some dream still.

He pulled her closer to him and she let out a soft sigh at the safety she felt. She opened her eyes too, not able to believe her luck or that she could have this man in her life in Israel while she tried to heal from everything her past could throw at her.

"Good morning, Tony," she said happily, turning around in his arms.

Tony stared at her for a long and silent moment, taking in everything about her presence. He smiled at her and pressed kisses to her forehead, cheeks, nose, and finally to her mouth. Then he pulled back a little, to gaze into her chocolate eyes.

"Good morning yourself," he whispered. "I thought I was dreaming."

"I can see where you would get confused," she said chuckling. "I also hoped that I was not dreaming."

"I can't believe we waited so long for this," Tony muttered, kissing her again, unable to resist what he wanted, which was so close and just as bare as he was in his arms.

Before she knew it, he had turned them so that he was hovering above her and worshiping every inch of her body again for at least the fourth time since they had been reunited yesterday.

When they had both reached the peak of pleasure again and fallen over the edge, they lay there, out of breath and content. Tony was still pressing small kisses all over her and she was tracing nondescript patterns on his arms, shoulders, and chest.

"I cannot believe we waited so long either," Ziva said, finally answering his comment from earlier. "Would you care to join me for a shower and breakfast, Tony?"

He smiled widely, his famous DiNozzo grin, and lifted her out of the bed with him, staring up and down her entire body, as though he had never seen it before. He had her body memorized, but that didn't matter, he wanted to look again. She blushed, even though she knew he had seen it all before, multiple times.

After their shower Tony cooked them eggs and Ziva made them coffee. They sat at the small table that was there. They ate silently, while holding hands, unable to resist the contact with each other. When they were finished the washed the dishes and laughed as they sprayed each other with the water from the sink.

Finally, they sat down in the living room again, still holding onto each other. Tony was getting a call on his laptop and he frowned.

"I'll be right back sweet cheeks," he whispered, pressing a kiss to Ziva's forehead and answering his call. It was Abby.

"You didn't come home, Tony!" she nearly shouted. "I waited to call you. I had to factor in the time difference and the flight and everything! What were you thinking not coming home? Why didn't you just get on the plane! I mean, I understand Ziva's reasoning, but what's your excuse? You don't belong in Israel, you belong here, Tony! I can't work without both of you!"

"Abby, calm down," Tony said, glancing up to see Ziva looking curious. Tony shook his head at her, he would explain his boss's resolution later.

Ziva walked on-screen, wearing only Tony's Ohio State T-shirt and put her arm around Tony's bare shoulders.

"Ziva!" Abby shouted into the screen. "Tony what are you doing with Ziva! I thought you didn't find her, last we knew!"

"Found her over a month ago, Abby," Tony said. "Couldn't live without her, I guess."

Ziva chuckled at his reference and pressed a kiss to his temple, feeling completely at ease with their renewed relationship and how she felt about him. Abby gasped at the sight of these two.

"What did I miss? Tell me everything!" she nearly shouted at them. "Did you just kiss him, Ziva!"

"Yes, Abby, I did," she said quietly. "Tony found me and I was in a mood, you could say. He was going to leave, I promise. But, it turns out I could not live without him either."

"Why did you chuckle at that?"

"It is the same thing he said to me when he found me in Somalia," she admitted, blushing again.

"Wait! How long have you two had something going on?"

"Off and on for eight and a half years," Tony said quietly. "But, this is permanent, Abby. That's why I didn't come home. I'll be back in some time. A month, maybe more, depending on how long it takes to take care of some things first."

She nodded quietly and didn't say anything for a moment. She was amazed and shocked at the sight of the two of them together. She was pleased, but hurt that she hadn't known at all about any of this. She had a lot on her mind to say and she needed to sort out which order to go in.


	9. Chapter 9

I Will

* * *

Abby's head was spinning as she sat in MTAC looking at the two of them just sitting there as they were. She took some time to really take in their appearance again before she began processing her thoughts.

Tony was sitting in the center of the screen wearing only a pair of shorts. His hair was a mess and wet as though he had just gotten out of the shower not too long ago. He was staring contentedly at Ziva, who was actually there. This was the first time Abby was looking at Ziva since she had resigned.

Ziva was wearing Tony's Ohio State T-shirt. It was gray and it was long on her, but short enough where Abby could tell that she wasn't wearing shorts or anything else that covered a little more. Ziva was also sitting on Tony's lap and staring into his eyes as they talked on the computer.

Abby had a lot to think about already and so many questions that she wanted to ask all right now. But, before she could ask questions, she had to process what she had just heard.

First thing was first. Tony wasn't coming home. At least, he wasn't coming home right away. He had already been gone for the better part of the past four months and he was going to be staying away from Washington, DC for another month or more. That was a lot to take in by itself. She would question why, but that reason was extremely obvious in front of her.

Ziva was on screen. That was the second thing to process. Ziva looked well and extremely happy, all things considered. Why had Ziva run to Israel? Why had Ziva run away? Why was she deciding that she couldn't come home? Why hadn't she taken the time to explain all this to Abby herself? Why had she done this through Gibbs if she was willingly sitting on-screen with Tony now?

Then, there was the comments made back and forth between Tony and Ziva. Tony said he couldn't live without her and that was why he hadn't come home. That was a huge comment to make to a former Mossad Assassin who didn't show emotions. That was huge and it was scary for Abby to hear, though it made her wonder why Ziva didn't push him away, though she had obviously heard those words before and processed their true meaning by now.

But, then, Ziva told Abby that he was about to come home and then she realized that she couldn't live without Tony either. Had Ziva asked Tony to stay with her in Israel? Why was she staying there and not coming home? Had Tony offered to stay and Ziva taken him up on that offer? What had happened to make these two so obviously attached at the hip?

The knowledge that Tony had found Ziva more than a month ago was huge news to Abby. They had talked to Tony only a few days ago. Then, he had been bearded and looking bedraggled. But now, he was clean shaven and looked overly happy. What had changed?

A month, Abby thought. A month could change someone that much if they let it. But, could it change Tony and Ziva who never shared anything deep and personal, the two who were obviously in love and denying it every step of the way? Could it do that? Why hadn't Tony just been honest? Was he buying more time and how did he get the time out of Gibbs when he was needed desperately to come home with Ziva?

But that trusting little peck to Tony's temple. Ziva had actually kissed Tony on the MTAC screen and in front of others for them to see. Abby knew that Ziva wasn't big on public displays of affection and she had just showed Abby what Tony meant to her through that small kiss and through her words. What was going on? Abby was so confused.

Then, to find out that Tony and Ziva had been seeing each other off and on throughout the last eight and a half years was something else entirely. How had they hidden it? What made this time seem permanent if they hadn't been before? What was so different about them now aside from them being happy and wrapped around each other as they were?

"We need you now, Tony," Abby tried to argue, wanting both of them home and things to return to somewhat normal.

How was she going to deal with McGee's new girl, Delilah, on her own? Who was going to torture the new probationary agents with her? Who was going to bring her extra Caf-Pows when Gibbs wasn't looking? Who was going to throw out random movie references and crack ridiculous jokes to keep the mood light?

"Abby, do you remember learning about the unspoken rule?" Tony asked quietly, pulling Ziva closer to his side, reassuring her that he wasn't going anywhere without her.

"Vaguely, but I don't remember that one," Abby said quietly. "It's not like the famous Gibbs talks about that one a lot."

"What don't I talk about much?" Gibbs asked, stepping up next to Abby in MTAC. "Hello Tony, Ziva. I can see you're enjoying yourselves?"

Both agents looked down at their lack of attire and laughed, pulling each other closer together. This caused Gibbs to smile. His two kids were happy and that was what mattered most. That also meant that DiNozzo hadn't screwed things up yet.

"The unspoken rule, Gibbs," Abby said. "That's what Tony's using to get out of coming home and doing his job. Tell me you didn't approve this month and maybe more off work."

Gibbs laughed. Oh, there was a lot of explaining to do now.

* * *

A/N – Thank you for the excellent responses I'm getting to this story. A special thanks to the guest, Maureen, who reviewed, since I cannot thank you personally through a private message! I'm glad everyone is enjoying the story. I can't wait to continue this conversation since we've only barely touched it.


	10. Chapter 10

I Will

* * *

"Gibbs? What do they mean the unspoken rule? What is the unspoken rule?" Abby asked, seeing that her boss wasn't going to share without her pushing.

Gibbs noticed that Tony and Ziva were still lost in each other's eyes. He had known that Ziva didn't want to be seen by the others, but apparently having Tony there was changing her faster than he ever thought possible, because he had never seen that look of pure happiness and contentedness on her face before now.

"You do what you have to for family," Gibbs replied as the door opened again to MTAC.

Gibbs didn't even bother looking back. He just looked between Abby and the two on the screen in MTAC.

"But, how does that explain why Tony stayed in Israel?" Abby asked, shaking her head.

"There's many other rules which explain it also, Abby," Gibbs said. "One. Five. Eight."

"I am so confused!" Abby said, throwing her hands up in the air.

"It's obvious if you look at them," McGee said quietly. "Hello Tony. Hi Ziva. Good to see you both after so long, especially you Ziva. I was under the impression that we wouldn't be seeing you unless you decided it was time to come home to DC."

"Things changed a little," she said. "But you won't be seeing much of me, Tim."

"Someone explain this to me!" Abby said quietly.

"Rule one," Tony said, "never screw your partner over."

"And that applies to more than just work," Gibbs said.

"So, that's what we're making sure we don't do. We're not screwing each other over."

"I liked Jenny's version better," Gibbs said with a frown. They all looked at the silver-haired man with curiosity and he chuckled at their confused expressions. "She said, never screw your partner. Perhaps I should have made that a rule."

Tony and Ziva glanced at each other blushing slightly and laughed at his words. Since Gibbs now knew everything about them it was appropriate for him to make this comment. Their eyes returned to the computer screen.

"Rule five," Ziva said. "Is you don't waste good."

"And this is definitely good," Tony said with a wide, DiNozzo smile on his face. "This is definitely something I'm not going to let go to waste. Rule eight is never take anything for granted."

"Not going to," Ziva said quietly. "Never would with you."

"Okay, I know the rules," Abby said, clarifying her confusion. "I know what they are and what they mean. But, Tony you were supposed to come home. You were supposed to be back yesterday. You were supposed to get back on a plane and come home with Ziva or without Ziva. Those were the conditions that Gibbs gave you. What changed that?"

"Love," Tony and Ziva said together as they snuggled a little deeper into each other and pressed a kiss to each other's lips.

Gibbs smiled and Abby and McGee were staring at his smirk as they watched what Tony and Ziva were doing in front of all three of them.

"How could you allow this, Gibbs?" Abby asked, nearly frantic. "You know I don't like new agents and how long is Tony really going to be away and am I going to have to deal with two new agents while he's gone or just one and the absence of both of them? I understand why she stayed away. I do. I just don't understand why he had to stay away too?"

"I approved it because Tony came clean with me," Gibbs said. "These two have quite a history, which I believe they let you know already. Perhaps you should ask them about it. About how they were when they first started working together and what they were doing throughout their last nine years of knowing each other."

"I plan on it," Abby said, sighing and finally beginning to see that she was missing something huge.

They had gone from barely talking to each other to Tony instantly forgiving her to Tony wanting to travel halfway around the world for her to Tony actually traveling halfway around the world for her and then Tony refusing to come home. There were obviously some blanks to fill it.

"What happened and when?" Abby asked.

"Undercover," Ziva said quietly, looking into Tony's eyes. "I knew he was the one. I think I fell in love with him during that one mission. But, we kept our hands to ourselves, figuratively speaking, considering the nature of the mission. We didn't go past the point where Gibbs told us we couldn't go."

Abby nodded and Tony talked. "The first summer together. That was such a wonderful summer. Ziva and I were together through that summer. How did you guys not catch that?"


	11. Chapter 11

I Will

* * *

"I guess we weren't really paying that close attention," McGee said with a shrug. "I thought they were just movie nights. What else happened since we're on a truth streak here?"

"Jeanne was a fake relationship that I was not at all committed to," Tony said. "I was still seeing Ziva despite the fact that Mossad had threatened my life and her freedom to choose where she was. And, Jenny knew about it and was furious with both me and Ziva."

"To the point where she was threatening to tell my father," Ziva added in, looking at Tony, who didn't know that information. "Then there was when we came back after she died."

"You don't need more details than that," Tony said quietly. "We were also seeing each other through her fake relationship with Michael Rivkin. That's why I was so irked that this guy was trying to screw Ziva over and why he was always so unhappy to see me. I think he knew."

"That was dangerous, Tony!" Abby shouted, her eyes going wide. "Are you stupid? Both of you?"

"Perhaps," Ziva said, looking at Tony. "Perhaps we were blinded by love."

They smiled at each other.

"There's the reason I went to Somalia," Tony said. "I couldn't live without her and I told her that. I didn't plan on coming home originally, but she was there and I had to."

"Only reason I did not talk in Somalia was because I could not live in a world without Tony in it," Ziva admitted, blushing slightly as she remembered her thoughts from back then.

"Paris was more significant than an assignment. We began healing together," Tony said quietly.

"With a whispered promise," Ziva told him. "There was also the night that Mike Franks was murdered. Tony, why did you stop that night?"

"The fear in your eyes," he said. "You told me one thing, but your eyes were telling me the truth."

"I appreciate it," Ziva whispered. "I was not ready."

The others were totally out of the conversation by this point, but they could follow along pretty well.

"I couldn't do that to you," Tony said. "I couldn't hurt you even then. I already loved you, but I was too afraid to admit it."

"Then there was the elevator," Ziva said remembering. "How I dragged you in there telling you I was not going anywhere without you. I could not lose you and I could not be unaware of where you were when NCIS was in danger. Then you kissed me when we knew we were safe."

"That's what made us open up. And, Eli giving me his blessing," Tony said quietly. "When I said everything, I meant it Ziva. He gave me his blessing for everything and anything he could think of."

"I know what you meant," Ziva said quietly.

Tony and Ziva were totally lost in their own conversation as the other three watched them work through this on the computer screen, wondering if they would ever remember that they had others watching.

"And Berlin," Tony said quietly.

"Yes, Berlin," Ziva reiterated.

"We danced," Tony said.

"We were in love while we danced Tony," Ziva admitted.

"Your eyes told me that."

"As did yours."

"Then we made love," Tony whispered, pressing a soft kiss to his lips at the memories of that. She kissed him back for a second and then looked into his eyes.

"Yes, we did," she admitted. "And our plan we came up with together of resigning to save Gibbs."

"And me offering to come to Tel Aviv for the summer with you," he said. "I told my goldfish."

"I figured you would," Ziva said with a chuckle. "Did she give you the look?"

"Ah, yes, she did," Tony admitted with a soft chuckle.

"Then you actually came here," Ziva said quietly. "It meant everything to me. And you lied to Gibbs too many times to count for me and for us."

They shared another kiss, but this one was long and passionate. When they pulled apart they finally remembered that they had an audience. Ziva's eyes met the screen as she blushed a deep shade of dark pink and then turned her head, smiling, into Tony's chest. She so hoped that there reactions would be positive now that they could see just what they meant to one another.


	12. Chapter 12

I Will

* * *

Ziva chuckled into Tony's chest as she finally dared to look up at her make-shift family again. McGee was smiling at the two and so was Gibbs. Abby's face was shocked, but pleased and she was nodding as though she finally understood for the first time since she had made the call to Tony, nearly about an hour ago.

"I think I see why you couldn't come home, Tony," Abby said. "That's not saying I'm not going to miss seeing you around here, but I am beginning to see why you pulled out the unspoken rule and five and eight."

"Not to mention fifty-one," Gibbs said. "They definitely fell under rule fifty-one."

"What's rule fifty-one?" Abby asked.

"Sometimes I'm wrong," Gibbs said with a smirk. "It's really great to see you two happy at last. Remember what I said, DiNozzo. You take care of her or I'll come take care of you."

"It won't be a problem, boss," Tony said, as Gibbs nodded and turned his gaze to Ziva (not that he had to go far with his gaze, since she was still sitting on his lap). "You keep safe, Ziva and don't forget to have each other's backs over there. It's not the United States you're in anymore."

They both nodded and Gibbs left the room. They looked at Abby and McGee who were still standing there sharing.

"I'm happy for you two," McGee said. "Be safe. Both of you. I need you both to come home in one piece. Even you, Ziva, because I don't think I could deal with Tony not only knowing you weren't in one piece but feeling guilty since he's the one who's got your back over there. Don't push him away. Keep him close. Hopefully we can talk kind of soon."

"Thank you McGee," Ziva said quietly. "I am glad we had the chance to clear this up in everyone's mind."

McGee left MTAC too, leaving only Abby, as their conversation had started. "Okay, so don't do anything I wouldn't do, which there are many things on that list if I was to be stuck with someone in Israel for a while, even if it was someone I loved. Be safe and take care of each other. And, by the way, it's about time that you two finally made whatever you had official and public and recognized that it was a forever-thing!"

They smiled at Abby, their eyes meeting momentarily. Abby shut off the screen and they were alone again. Ziva was laughing once more.

"What's so funny?" Tony asked.

"I totally lost myself in you while they were watching," Ziva said. "It's a little frightening that you make me totally forget what I'm saying, where I am, and what I'm doing. But, at the same time I love it more than anything in the world. I feel so safe when you're around. I always have."

Tony smiled at her and pulled her into a kiss. They got locked there and a little lost in each other, to the point of no return, though that took some time. An hour later, Tony looked at Ziva, now "dressed" again as she was before.

"So, when do we start on this list or do we need to take another shower before we discuss this."

"Well, how much of your list is done?" Ziva asked.

"Seven out of eight," Tony said with a smirk. "How about yours?"

"Two out of eight," Ziva said. "I have seen you again and I have let go of the badge. What is left on your list?"

"I can't tell you that, Ziva," Tony said, blushing a little.

"What is it? It might be easier than my list," she said.

"Easier yes, but not something to do when we don't know when we're going home."

"What is it?" she pressed.

"Give you a family," Tony said quietly.

Ziva smiled and it grew wider. "You're right, Tony. That is not something we should do now. But, it is something I look forward to in the future I have with you. Also, I can cross of enjoy the small things, because I am definitely enjoying them more than I have ever allowed myself to before. I would like to take you to my father's grave and my mother and sister's graves. I would like to share that moment with you if we can disentangle ourselves for long enough. So, not today and probably not tomorrow, because I don't know about you, but I'm not done with you yet."

Ziva smiled devilishly and grabbed Tony's hand. They were definitely going to be enjoying a lot of the small things in the next few days to come and this was only a part of it. This alone could prolong how long it took Ziva to get through her list, but that didn't matter, she wasn't willing to do it on her own no matter what now that Tony had traveled, again, halfway around the world for her, as he had done too many times.

In the end, though, they both knew that Ziva was going to travel to DC, halfway around the world, so that she could have Tony and be whole with him and happy about every moment that they would share from then on.


	13. Chapter 13

I Will

* * *

The following morning, Ziva and Tony ate breakfast in much the same manner as they had the previous morning. They decided to take a walk in the olive orchard out behind her house when they were finished. Ziva told Tony about how she always picked olives with Ari and Tali and how Ari would reach the higher ones and share with her and her sister. Tony was happy the whole day as Ziva shared her happy memories with him, since she had never shared anything so happy before in her life.

Ziva also decided that they were behaving enough for that day that they could go visit the graves of her family. Ziva told Tony stories about her father when she was younger, happy stories and stories about little Tali when they were younger. They got to Ari's grave and Tony looked Ziva in the eyes.

"I know it hurts you," Tony said. "I know it hurts you what you had to do that day. I know that it is the hardest thing you've ever had to do, Zi. He was your brother and you wanted him to be innocent. Honestly, I'm a little proud of you for looking at the evidence and taking Gibbs up on his test. Since meeting you I have met many in Mossad where they wouldn't have done that. You did something amazing that day and it earned more than Gibbs' trust."

"I know, Tony," Ziva said, tears streaming down her face now that she was here and finally facing a demon of her past. "He was a member of Hamas and he was loyal to only Hamas. This is something that my father didn't know right away, though I suspected. I was the one to bring my suspicions to my father since I was his control officer. My father found the information and never gave me the evidence, so I did not want to believe that my own brother could do that to his father. I still viewed Eli as somewhat of a saint, even then. I would never have thought of betraying him like that, but Ari was older than I was. His joining Hamas was similar to my joining NCIS, in a way."

"It wasn't the same, you didn't join a terrorist organization," Tony argued with her gently.

"But I did give up my allegiance to what I was supposed to be doing," Ziva said. "You're right. I did not join Hamas or any other terrorist cell. I did not do anything behind his back and illegal. But, I still did turn my back on him in much the same way that Ari did. I do see the similarities with it, but I also see the differences that you have pointed out. This is why I need you hear, to keep my head on straight and remind me of the good."

Tony wrapped his arms around her. "Do you want to tell me about your mother?"

Ziva nodded a little. "She left my father after the mess with Orli. She left him for good and for a while Ari, Tali, and I were living with her. She treated Ari like her own son and he was grateful for that, but he knew that she was not his mother. He knew she was just a woman who was caring for him. After a while, though, Eli demanded to have his children back and that was when our training really began.

"He tried to turn us against our mother and say that she was disloyal to Israel and to her husband. Finally the divorce was made final and I still did not see much of my mother, despite the custody arrangement being made that it was to be fifty/fifty. After some time, she was shot and killed by a Mossad Officer that I do not know the name of. I later learned that it was a hit that was put out on her and the orders were given by my father. He couldn't stand the thought of living without her and if he couldn't have her then nobody would. It is sad. It is upsetting. It is disappointing. And it proves the kind of man that my father is and that is how I learned that Daddy wasn't as perfect as I thought he was, as you once asked me to answer for you."

There weren't any tears in Ziva's eyes anymore. She was telling the story but she had actually gotten over what had happened and that was now one of the many things that she no longer had to deal with. "I'm sorry, Ziva," Tony said quietly. "If I could give you my father I would, not that he was a good father, but he didn't put a hit out on my mother."

"No, he did not. But, your father is not the best, you are right," Ziva said. "We all have father issues. I suppose that is what makes our strange team so good at understanding each other."

"I think we all have parent issues," Tony said quietly. "I mean look at Gibbs. His mother died when he was a teenager and his father lied about things for all his life. McGee's mother tried to buy his love while his father told him he was good for nothing. Abby's real parents didn't want her and her foster parents decided that she was strange. I don't know about Palmer or Ducky, but they seem like they know a thing or two about father issues."

Ziva nodded. "Gibbs is like a father to me, Tony," Ziva admitted to him. "But he is like a father to you too."

"He is a better father than the one I was born to," Tony admitted. "You heard what he said to me about you, but you don't know what he said to me as we were standing at the airport saying goodbye. He told me that you were my Shannon. That's saying something, considering he never talks about anything. He also started calling me by my first name."

Ziva looked as amazed as Tony had felt that day, but she was smiling. "Let's go to Haifa. I believe the old beach house is something that we can paint and do good things to for now. It is mine and I would like to keep it, but there is another house there that I would like to renovate. It belongs to the woman that you met while trying to find me, the one who was engaged to my brother, Ari. I think she would appreciate having a beach house to go to, to get her mind off everything that has been bothering her for a decade."

"I think that's a great idea, Ziva," Tony said quietly. "Give back to the community, while we begin our travels. I want to visit Paris again."

"I want to visit Berlin again," Ziva said honestly. "It was the beginning of everything for us."

"I agree, sweet cheeks," Tony said, taking her hand and leading her back to the house where they would spend the night tonight.


	14. Chapter 14

I Will

* * *

Haifa was absolutely amazing, Tony learned as soon as he got there. One of the best parts had nothing to do with the beach. One of the best parts was that Ziva was filled with good memories of the place and that made Tony very happy to hear.

It took them a couple of days of getting totally lost in each other again for them to settle into the new place and Tony was beginning to see why he had said maybe more than a month, since he had already been there for a week and a half and they had only crossed one more thing off her list.

They were busy painting the beach house that they were staying in now. It was just white paint to freshen up the look of it, but it was still fun, considering how they were handling it. If either one could see it, they would say that they were acting like small children with paint-brushes.

Tony got Ziva's nose and Ziva got his whole chest, since he was working only in shorts in the warmth of Israel. They were laughing so hard and there was paint everywhere except for the walls. It was very funny to say the least.

"Tony!" Ziva squealed as he went after her again with the paintbrush and got her shoulder.

She dropped grabbed her paintbrush and they began a sort of wrestling match with paint. Finally the paintbrushes hit the floor and they were entirely wrapped in each other, their mouths locked and neither knew how they had gotten into that state, but neither was complaining about it either.

When they pulled apart, the only thing that Tony could focus on was Ziva's fantastic smile that told him that she was genuinely happy. He could feel her heart racing in her chest as he lay on top of her, his hands still wandering all over her body, exploring it once more.

"I love you, Tony," Ziva whispered quietly.

"I love you, too, Zi," he whispered back and then repeated the lines in perfect Hebrew that caused Ziva to kiss him again. She loved it when he spoke in her native-tongue.

About an hour later, still entirely covered in paint they were laying on their backs and looking at the ceiling, which had already been painted the previous day. Today they had gotten nothing done and neither of them cared, because they had actually gotten something done, thought many others would see it as nothing at all.

Tony leaned over to Ziva, stroking her hair. "We should shower," he offered.

"We should," Ziva agreed quietly.

"I want to know something first, Ziva," Tony said curiously and she nodded to him. "When we do eventually go back to reality and DC, would you move in with me?"

Her face lit up and she pressed another kiss to his lips that caused them both to want more again, because they just could not seem to get enough of each other. "Absolutely," she whispered when they pulled apart.

"Ziva?" Tony asked, as he sat up with her.

"What, Tony?" she asked, her eyes meeting his.

"Will you marry me?" he asked, seemingly out of the blue and she thought not having a ring in hand.

He reached over to his pants and pulled out a small box and held it out, opening it for her. She was speechless for the moment and there were tears of joy in her eyes. She looked at the ring. It was gold with two tiny Stars of David on either side of a heart-cut diamond that stood higher than the rest of the ring. She smiled at him and nodded.

"Yes, Tony. I will," she said quietly. "I most certainly will!"

They kissed again as Tony slipped the ring onto her finger and knowing that it would fit perfectly, because they had once, long ago, had a conversation about ring sizes and he remembered it as clearly as he knew she did. They were smiling widely and lost in the moment completely and totally, not realizing that someone had just let themselves into the beach house in Haifa.

They got up and Ziva took Tony's shirt which was tossed to the side and Tony replaced his shorts as they worked together to get the paint closed for future use, perhaps the next day. Ziva glanced down again at the ring and that bright smile returned to her face and Tony pressed a kiss to her temple, knowing that she already loved it. It was a good thing Tony had gone on intuition, because that was not Gibbs' pick at all.

They left the bedroom and went into the living room to find Adam Eschel standing there staring at them and shaking his head at the state that he had just found these two in, not that he hadn't expected it at any time of the day or night. Adam averted his eyes from them and opted instead to look at the ceiling, chuckling quietly to himself about what he had walked into and also noticing the small glinting that was now coming from Ziva's left hand and smiling quietly about it.

"I see you two are enjoying yourselves," he commented, before finally allowing his eyes to return to theirs and his were genuinely happy to see what he was seeing between the two of them, since Ziva was half hiding on the other side of the road and where it is easier to run away if it should become necessary.


	15. Chapter 15

I Will

* * *

"Adam, what are you doing here?" Ziva asked, hiding a little behind Tony.

"I was coming to deliver a message to you from Special Agent Gibbs at NCIS in Washington, DC of America," he said quietly and chuckling. "It seems that you two haven't touched a computer in quite a while. It was not much really."

"What does he want," Tony said.

"First he wants to know when you are coming home," Adam said quietly. "He also wants to know if you're taking care of each other and if you're making progress. I do not think I should tell the famous Gibbs how I found you, though, if you are here on assignment."

"We are not on assignment, Adam," Ziva said, shaking her head. "And, I gave up the badge."

"You did what?" Adam said, sounding shocked.

"She quit," Tony said. "Not me. I didn't quit. I only took as much time off as I could to be with her while she was working through some things."

"Working through something alright, DiNozzo," Adam said. "I can see why you did not like me, but I also wonder why the change of heart."

"Because you're a good guy, Adam," Tony said quietly. "Besides, you helped me find her."

"And she is your world," Adam finished for Tony. "I will be leaving now, but I should warn you to check your computers at some point, or shall I tell Gibbs that you have no idea when you're coming home since you two are apparently in heaven at the moment."

"You can tell him, Adam. I do not wish to email right now," Ziva said smiling to herself and really enjoying the embarrassed look on Adam's face.

He nodded and left awkwardly.

They spent the next ten days fixing up the beach house they were staying in. It could have been much shorter than that, but they kept getting caught up in each other and having fun around all that. Then, they spent another four days just enjoying that beach house that they worked hard to fix up. Sometimes they were on the beach, but most of the time they spent inside. That was when they decided it was time to go fix the other beach house nearby that they had wanted to fix.

This one was more difficult to fix and it took them a week without getting too side-tracked while they worked on it. Finally, it was finished and they smiled at each other.

Ziva turned to Tony and looked at him carefully as they stepped out on the porch together and gazed out over the water.

"Tony," she said quietly. "Do you remember our conversation when we were about to miss Jimmy's wedding?"

"About eloping?" Tony asked quietly, his eyes finding hers and his expression growing curious.

"Yes," Ziva said. "It does not sound like such a bad idea. I know it is spontaneous and you and I never do anything spontaneously, but it sounds like a good idea."

Tony's eyes lit up. He had never imagined having such a realistic conversation on the topic with Ziva. He moved closer to her. "I am fine with the idea," he said quietly.

She smiled at him and they walked back to their own beach house. They got in some nice clothes and Ziva drove them into town to find a Synagogue. They walked in, holding onto each other and found the Rabi there, that Ziva had known since she was a younger. She explained to him in Hebrew what they were doing.

He turned a smile toward Tony and spoke to him in English. "You must be a great man. Not only did you capture young Ziva's heart, but you have apparently changed her into a softer person. For her to consider marriage at all is a great deal, but for her to spontaneously marry is something that means more when you involve her than it does when you involve anyone else. Let us get this done," the Rabi said.

The words were spoken in both English and Hebrew, though Tony was following the Hebrew very well. When it came his turn to say his vows to Ziva, he repeated the Rabi using Hebrew instead of English and he was smiling the entire time and Ziva had tears of joy in her eyes, knowing that he had learned all this behind her back, since the Rabi was using English on him.

"You may kiss," he said. He waited until they pulled apart again. "Well, Mr. DiNozzo, I must say that you must really love your new wife, to have learned a new language to make her happy! Hold onto that love. It will get you through anything and everything."

"We know," they both said at the same time and kissed again, as the Rabi made his exit from the Synagogue, leaving Tony and Ziva alone together again.

They walked silently toward the beach house, which was already packed up, because they knew they were leaving in the morning. They just hadn't known that they were leaving and Tony and Ziva DiNozzo in the morning and that thought alone made them both smile joyously.

Tony did the traditional thing of carrying Ziva through the front door of the beach house and then proceeded to carry her straight to the bedroom, where they were totally lost in each other for the entire night. He couldn't wait to be back in Paris and Berlin and then wherever else they were deciding to go.


	16. Chapter 16

I Will

* * *

Their first stop was Paris. They landed after a long flight and were going to enjoy a whole day there. This was the beginning of traveling the world without being chased and they were doing it as the DiNozzos which was a wonderful thing.

They enjoyed their day in Paris. They saw the EiffelTower but chose not to go up because of the lines and saw the Louvre. They then spent their night in a fancy restaurant that Tony couldn't pronounce the name of and enjoyed their second night as a married couple.

They then bought a cheap car for sale somewhere and hopped on the road. They made their way to Antwerp, Belgium, where they only spent long enough for lunch and a little sightseeing before hoping back into the car and making their way to Hamburg, Germany for the night. Then, they made the three-hour drive to Berlin and spent the remainder of that day there and went back to the small club that they had shared their first dance in and got lost in each other for the entire night.

They spent another day roaming around Berlin before departing. They stopped in Prague for lunch and spent another couple of hours roaming around totally lost with each other. Then stopped in Vienna, Austria, where they enjoyed another romantic dinner and night together.

During the night Tony received a call on his computer from Gibbs. It was probably still day-time in DC, but it was nearly time for them to be sleeping where they were. He was sitting on the patio of a small hotel-room with Ziva in his arms when he answered the call.

"You two aren't in Israel anymore," he noticed first.

"No, we're in Vienna," Tony said.

"How did you get there? Never mind. I just wanted to know, DiNozzo, you have any idea when you're coming home? It's been a little more than a month now," Gibbs said.

"Not yet, boss. Not done yet," Tony said.

"We will definitely be home before Christmas, Gibbs," Ziva said. "Maybe even before Thanksgiving."

"Good to know," Gibbs said with a nod. "I'll call around Thanksgiving if I haven't heard from you by then. Enjoy yourselves."

They stopped the next day for lunch in Munich. They were in Germany again, which made them laugh for a while. Then, they spent the remainder of their day and night in Verona, Italy, enjoying themselves. They decided to stay one day in Verona and enjoy some of the vineyards that were around the area. They went to a couple of Italian wine-tastings and Ziva was pleasantly surprised to learn that her husband spoke fluent Italian, while whispering to her in Hebrew as they drank more wine.

They returned that night giggling, to their hotel room, where they thoroughly enjoyed each other with wide smiles on their faces. They then left the following morning and stopped again at night in Sarajevo, Bosnia. Their last stop was Sofia, Bulgaria and then they spent a day locked in the hotel room there, before they decided it was time to return to Israel and pack up. But, they also decided to drive to Israel from where they were which would need for strategic stops.

They spent a night in Ankara, Turkey and a night in Latakia, Syria. They then sold the car and bought a boat and road on the waters to Haifa, Israel. It was not their smartest move, but it was fun nonetheless.

They laughed about it for a while and then got lost in each other. The following morning they ate breakfast late and decided it was time to go home.

"Let's go home, Tony," Ziva said. "Together," she added with a smile.

"Yes, my ninja. Let's go home together. I'll book a flight for tomorrow morning, so we can enjoy the rest of the day here," Tony said.

Ziva kissed Tony and smiled at him. "I will call Gibbs on the computer."

Ziva went to the computer and placed the call into MTAC. Turned out it was night in Washington, DC and she hadn't remembered the time difference, but Gibbs was there. He came onto the screen at the same time that Tony joined Ziva's side.

"We're flying out tomorrow, boss," Tony said.

"For?" he asked.

"Home," Ziva said quietly and kissed Tony happily. When she turned around Gibbs was smiling.

"It'll be great to have you two back," Gibbs replied to them. "I know, you're not taking the badge back, Ziva, but you'll be home and that's what's important to all of us."

They smiled and said their goodbyes and see-you-laters. They were happy alright, including Gibbs, considering his family was coming back together again and he was seeing how happy these two genuinely were after more than a month with each other wandering through who knows what kind of recklessness.

They got on the plane early in the morning in Tel Aviv and were sitting so close to one another that they only took up one and a half seats as they headed back home, where they could begin their lives together officially.


	17. Chapter 17

I Will

* * *

The plane touched down and Ziva turned to Tony as he handed her carryon bag from the overhead compartment. She was smiling at the sight of DC around her and also seeing that Gibbs was standing on the tarmac waiting for them and knowing that neither of them had a car to drive home, wherever home was going to be.

"Only one thing left on the list, Tony," Ziva said quietly.

"Same as my one thing," he whispered, feeling a little nervous, since they had hardly talked about this last item on their list. Yet, their eyes told them that they weren't going to talk about it as they got off the plane; that would have to wait.

It was early evening and they walked into the brisk air of Washington, DC to find Gibbs waiting for them and smiling as they walked toward him.

"Hello again. Good to see you, Ziva, Tony," he said with a smile on his face, pulling them each into a soft hug in turn. "Thought I would give you a ride, but we're going to NCIS first. Got to finish up filing that paperwork, but I didn't want to be late for your plane."

"Thank you, Gibbs," Ziva said quietly.

"For what, kid?" he asked curiously.

"For letting him come with me. It would have taken me longer than if he wasn't there," she said. "I'm glad you allowed him to come. I know you must have been suffering at work."

"Not a big deal. Nothing we couldn't handle," Gibbs said quietly and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. She smiled and brushed her hair out of the way of her eyes. Gibbs caught glimpse of the new additions to her hand and chuckled slightly. "Couldn't wait, I see," he added, grabbing both of their left hands and observing them carefully. "Congratulations."

They both smiled at his broad smile, knowing that he understood the ideas they had while they were in Israel. They then climbed into his car and rode silently back to NCIS. They got into the elevator with Gibbs and started their journey upward toward the squad room, where they already knew that everyone would be waiting to greet Ziva and Tony upon their return home.

The doors slid open and Gibbs walked out and straight to his desk. Vance, Ducky, Palmer, Breena, McGee, and Abby were all standing there looking at Tony and Ziva. They smiled to one another and their fingers laced through each other's nervously as everyone greeted them.

"So, how was your vacation, DiNozzo?" Vance asked after everyone was done with hugs and getting reacquainted.

"Best I've ever had," he said quietly.

"You have tomorrow off, then I expect to see you in here the following morning. You are probably jet-lagged."

He nodded in understanding. Vance turned to Ziva.

"I understand the decision. But, I do have an offer for you. If you would like to work in our translation department or our Middle East department or our Foreign Affairs department, the job is yours and all you have to do is ask."

"No thank you," Ziva said. "I think for now I will be happy at home. If I wish to find a job after a while, then I will do so."

He nodded and smiled at her. Tony and Ziva glanced at each other awkwardly.

"So…?" Abby said looking at the two and the way they were looking at each other. They both looked at her curiously. "Tell me everything!"

They looked at each other once again and they both raised their left hands and held them up for everyone to see. Gibbs was chuckling quietly at his desk. Vance had a stern face, but his eyes were lit up; it was simply something he hadn't expected to ever see happen with these two, although he had always known that they were in love.

Ducky was nodding and smiling at the two of them, his eyes filled with complete understanding and joy. McGee looked shocked and definitely hadn't expected them to come home as a married couple; he had only just gotten used to them being a couple. Palmer and Breena were smiling widely and happily for the two and laughing quietly to themselves.

Abby had a strange expression to her. Her face was shocked, horrified, pleased, excited, and confused all at the same time. It was like she had been hit by something heavy and was totally motionless. Although, since she was the one to ask the others were waiting for her to say something first, respecting the conversation she had been having with Tony and Ziva.

They all realized, however, that this was beyond an engagement. They could all clearly see three rings in their sight. There was an intricate engagement ring sitting on Ziva's left hand right next to her wedding band which was gold with a Star of David at the top, which was lined with tiny diamonds glinting at them. Tony's ring, on his left hand also, matched hers, but was wider signifying that he was definitely a taken man now. Abby finally decided on something to say and swallowed a million other things she wanted to say before opening her mouth to speak.


	18. Chapter 18

I Will

* * *

"Wow!" Abby said hesitantly. "Um… congratulations! This is… unexpected… a surprise… this is great, but it's definitely not something I expected out of the two of you! Honestly, I thought you would never get your act together enough for this to even happen! And then there's when I told you not to do anything I wouldn't do, and you did… but you two look so happy and so perfect together! Mr. and Mrs. DiNozzo! Wow! Just wow!"

Abby had started off speaking very hesitantly and gotten more and more excited as she spoke. She walked over to them now and took their left hands, looking at their rings that were in place there. She was smiling at them and there were tears in her eyes. Both knew that Abby didn't like change and there was a lot of change happening now, but they were both happy to see that she was reacting better to this than she had been when Tony didn't come home from Israel.

Abby pulled both of them into a bone-crushing hug and stepped back smiling widely. "Congratulations!" she cried out and nearly jumped as she got more excited about this.

Tony and Ziva were quietly smiling at Abby's reaction. The others walked closer.

"Congratulations, both of you," Breena said from Palmer's arm. She was smiling.

"Yes, congratulations!" Palmer said.

"I knew it would happen," Ducky said, stepping in front of them. "I knew the minute our Anthony went off to find you, Ziva. I knew that you two would not come back to the same as you had left! Oh, I am so happy for you and I will have quite a variety of stories to tell whoever sits in that chair over there stories of you two before you were something official! I am so beyond happy for you!"

He shook Tony's hand and hugged Ziva lightly, stepping out of the way to allow others to come in.

McGee was next. He stood in front of them silently for a moment and knew that all eyes were on him, since he seemed horribly shocked still by all this. "Tony, you and commitment in the same sentence just never seemed right, but when you put Ziva into the equation it makes sense. Congratulations. Listen, take care of her or I'll learn how to kill you with a paperclip."

Tony chuckled and so did Ziva. McGee and Tony embraced for a small second and then McGee turned to Ziva.

"I'm proud of you, Ziva," he said quietly. "I can see that you've come a long way since last year. Congratulations."

She smiled at him and they hugged for a moment, then Gibbs stepped up to these two. He took Tony's shoulders and pulled him into a hug and then turned to Ziva and placed a soft kiss on her forehead with a smile for her. There were tears in Gibbs' eyes as he smiled down at them. He was happy alright.

"Congratulations, kids," he said quietly and the others could only barely hear him. "Take care of each other, okay?"

They nodded happily. Then, Tony looked at Ziva. "Let's go home," he said quietly.

She smiled at him and turned around toward the elevator with him. The last thing they saw was the rest of their family smiling and waving at them as they hopped into the elevator to go down and go home.

Once they were in the car, Tony took her hand and turned to her. "I love you, Ziva," he said quietly and she looked at him curiously. He turned on the car and drove back to his apartment, which still hadn't been fixed.

She gasped when she saw the bullet holes that sat in the windows and other areas of the apartment. There was pain in her eyes and she walked to Tony, who was busy trying to turn on the light. She took his shoulder and he turned, to see the tears in her eyes from what she was seeing. She didn't move when he looked at her. She only stood there.

He pulled her into a hug and held her tightly. He knew that this part was going to be painful, because even though he had told her that he had somehow managed to avoid getting shot in his own home, it wouldn't be reality to her until she saw it. He held her tightly in his arms for a moment and noticed that she reached around him and fed the goldfish that was swimming in circles around her bowl.

Finally, they pulled apart and the pain was nearly extinguished from Ziva's eyes. She had come to terms with this quickly and she knew in that moment that she was going to be a nervous wreck whenever he was at work, because she wouldn't have his back. She was already considering taking back the badge, just to have his back, but she knew that they would both get distracted that way. She had to trust whoever he was given for a partner.

"So, the last item on our lists," Tony said quietly, leading Ziva to his couch.

"Yes, the last item," Ziva said just as quietly, taking a seat and pulling Tony down with her. "Whenever we're both ready."

"Whenever it happens, I'm ready," Tony said quietly. "I've been ready for everything with you for a very long time, Ziva."

She smiled and pulled him into a kiss. She had already known this, of course, because of the way his item was worded. "Give her a family." She smiled wider and deepened their kiss. He really wanted to be with only her and she was the only thing on his mind, just as he was the only thing on her mind.


	19. Chapter 19

I Will

* * *

It was Tony's last day off. Tony called Gibbs. He had no choice. He called Gibbs at a very early hour of the morning. It was five in the morning. Tony had awoken, worrying about how Ziva would react to being in his apartment alone with the bullet holes. He didn't want her to be afraid or feel as though something was wrong or off. He didn't want her to be reminded that his life had been in danger from some terrorist that had targeted her because she was Eli David's daughter. Actually, what he wanted to do was move out, and it was a sudden impulse. He didn't know what to do and he was calling Gibbs.

The phone call was short and Gibbs was there by six in the morning with McGee, Ducky, Palmer, Breena, and Abby to help fix up the apartment. They were working through most of the day and Ziva was confused as to why Tony was doing all of this. She kept insisted that it didn't have to get finished today. However, they did finish it by the end of the day and it looked as though there had never been any bullet holes in the first place. Tony was pleased. Ziva also made dinner for their family as a thank you for helping them all out.

As Ziva was finishing up with dinner Tony came into the kitchen. He kissed the side of her neck and she purred to him, allowing her eyes to slide close and her focus to turn away from the food. Then, she turned to him, knowing that the food didn't need her full attention right then.

"I want to get a new place," Tony said quietly. "A house. A place that's ours."

Ziva smiled at him. "That sounds like a great idea, Tony. But, why are you doing all of this?" she asked.

"I don't want you to remember what you went to Israel to forget," he said shyly.

"That you were targeted because I was Eli David's daughter?" she asked, already knowing that that's what was on his mind. "Of course I don't want to remember that, Tony. But, it's the truth and as much as I would love to erase my past and my history, I can't do that and you should know that you can't do that either. But, I do agree with you. We should get a place together. Don't worry, love. I'll be fine here on my own. Besides, I still have a gun and several knives in case someone is to target me again. Just because I gave it up doesn't mean I lost the skills. Besides, I was considering going back to it, now that my conscience is clean."

"You would do that?" Tony asked, his eyebrows pulling together.

"It's just a thought. There are many thoughts I've had. But, you know how I am. I can't stand sitting in one place for too long without any work to do," Ziva said with a smile. "I appreciate all of this Tony. Thank you."

He smiled at her and knew that she had to make up her own mind on this, on whether she was ready to take back the badge or not and what was right for her and not. But, he could see the sincerity in her thanks toward him and he kissed her lightly and allowed her to go back to finishing dinner.

They enjoyed a meal. However, this gathering was definitely more awkward than their gathering last night in the squad room where they had all been themselves. McGee kept getting text messages from Delilah and every time his phone would go off Abby would glare at him. McGee would smile like an idiot and Ducky would shake his head. Gibbs would roll his eyes. Breena and Palmer were lost in their own little world.

Tony and Ziva were entertained by the differences in the family since they left so long ago and they just enjoyed the presence of everyone gathering to help them out. When it was time for them to leave, Tony and Ziva each thanked them for coming and Tony stepped out to have a quiet conversation with McGee before he went.

"Hey, McGee," he said, leaning his back against the wall in the hallway outside his apartment. "You might want to chill with the texting in front of Abby. She looked ready to kill and leave no trace evidence."

"Toward me?" McGee asked, totally unaware of this.

"Yea, toward you," Tony said. "Listen, I know you and Delilah are like awesome together… course, I've only met her once, so I don't know her all that well… but, Abby's being Abby… well, more like Abby's jealous of Delilah."

"Why would she be?" McGee asked angrily.

"She wants you, McGee!" Tony nearly shouted at the younger agent. "It's obvious. She wants you and you have someone. She's just too afraid to say that she wants you and now you're taken and it's driving her crazy. Open your eyes, McGee. You have to at least talk to her about it and let her know how it is. Do you even know how it is?" McGee looked confused. "Listen, just sleep on that thought for tonight. Don't do anything. Just sleep on it and think it through. But, this… what I saw in there tonight was pure jealousy raging through the best forensic scientist I've ever met. Don't mess with that! Just think about what you know and solve the case. You two can work this out."

McGee nodded, still confused by Tony's words, but already beginning to think them through and remember times where Abby had acted jealous through their relationship and he felt a little guilty for not recognizing it earlier. He left then and Tony turned back into the apartment.

He found Ziva at the computer, looking at houses online.

"Check this one out, Tony," Ziva said. "I think we should look at it tomorrow when you're finished with work."

Tony liked the look of it and smiled at Ziva, nodding to her and pressed a kiss to her forehead, glad that he had Ziva in his life and glad that he hadn't second guessed himself when he had returned to Israel to get her. He was so lucky to have Ziva in his life and he wouldn't trade it for anything.


	20. Chapter 20

I Will

* * *

Ziva and Tony stood in the house at five in the evening. They had already looked through the whole thing and they were both standing there staring out at the large backyard that it had. They were in love with the house as much as they were in love with each other. They had already discussed money, too, and they really wanted the house. But, just like they got lost in each other's eyes, they were lost in their thoughts of children running through the backyard which would be cluttered with children's toys. They were smiling to themselves.

It was the realtor speaking that pulled them from their thoughts. And, they were nearly startled by the sudden appearance of the realtor.

"So, what do you think?"

They looked at each other and the answer was clear as their eyes met.

"Absolutely," they said.

"Okay, let's fill out the paperwork. We'll return to my office for this part," the lady said with a smile on her face.

The paperwork didn't take long and they both already knew that they would be approved for a loan, because Ziva had done that already through their bank while Tony was at work. It had kept her busy, but she had really wanted to think about her career and what she was going to do with it now that she was back in DC and with Tony.

"Okay, we're going to double check everything this week and you can move in the end of the month," the woman said. "That's only two weeks away." They smiled at one another. "And, congratulations."

"Thank you," they both said quietly and held each other's hands as they walked out of the realtor's office.

"I can't believe we just bought a house!" Tony said happily, hugging Ziva tightly so that she was lifted off her feet.

She squealed in delight at the affection she was receiving and she honestly couldn't have been happier that they both loved the house and both wanted the same things. She had never imagined a happy ending, but she was starting to see how it was possible. She was starting to see that her road toward happiness had always been Tony, even since the first day that she met him and told him about her sister's death and opened up that little piece of her heart to the man that she barely knew back then.

When they finally got home, they ordered a pizza to celebrate and watched a movie, while they talked. The movie was really only on for background noise.

"Did you give any thought to your career options?" he asked.

"I wish I could try these other jobs, to see what they are like. I have emailed Leon to ask for a job description of each one," she said. "I still do not like the thought of trusting others to have your back on the field. What if your partner turns out to be incompetent?"

"Nobody is you, Ziva," Tony said. "But I still have Gibbs and McGee at my back, too."

"That is true," she said quietly with a smirk on her face. "But I would like it if your other partner was competent too."

"I can't promise that. Gibbs is being extremely picky, as he should be. And, with SECNAV and Jarvis from Homeland being gone, they are allowing him to be extremely picky, since we lost them while you were away and we were all off the team. They only want the best, just like Gibbs. But, Ziva?"

"What, Tony?" she asked curiously.

"Don't make a decision based on fear," he warned her. "That's what got you into this whole mess in the first place, where you needed to go away to heal. Make a decision based on what you want to do. That will make you the happiest in the end, which will in turn make us both happier. If you want that job back because that's the job for you, then that's what you'll do. If you want to take one of the other jobs, because that's what you want to do, then do that. If there's something else you want to do, then do that. I'm happy as long as you're happy, even if that means I have to break in a new probie."

"And I know how much you hate breaking in new Probationary Agents," Ziva said with a chuckle. "You used to enjoy it so much."

"I don't think I would this time around," Tony said with a slight grimace.

"Because its my desk," Ziva said, giving him the reason he was trying hard not to voice. "It's okay, Tony. I understand. You miss me at work. I will not make a decision based on that or a fear. I will make a decision based on what I want to do for a change. I promise."

"I know you will," Tony said with a smile. "I know you will and whatever you decide to do doesn't have to be permanent either, so if you change your mind, you can decide to do something else, in case you really hate it. This isn't Mossad we're talking about."

"Thank god for that," Ziva said with a laugh.

Tony was so glad to see her laughing over this, knowing that only a month ago she would have hidden from that information. She had come a very long way in the last month and a half that they had shared together. He smiled at her and pulled her into a kiss that never ended.


	21. Chapter 21

I Will

* * *

Over the next week, Ziva poured over the job descriptions she had from Director Vance. Translation sounded like dull work. Foreign affairs sounded boring. And the Middle East department sounded too much like getting herself too close to Mossad again, since that was one of the major people she would have to talk to.

She spent some time volunteering with children and that was good, but it got old fast. Most children these days were disrespectful and unruly and she couldn't stand it for long. It was fine for a while, but not forever. She was still lost on what she wanted to do.

She spent thanksgiving with the group from NCIS. McGee had brought Delilah, obviously not taking Tony's advice yet or already making a decision. Abby was not talking to anyone through dinner. Ducky was observing everyone. Ziva learned that there was something about Delilah that she didn't like and she always knew to trust her instincts.

She found herself, later, looking into Delilah as much as her civilian status would allow her to look into someone. The more she found the less she liked her. Delilah seemed a little fake. She had had three engagements already and all of those relationships were short-lived, fast, and hard. But, she knew not to judge a book by its cover, since she was with the known play-boy.

But, she learned something as she dug deeper and deeper into Delilah, and Tony was the one who pointed it out the following morning.

"You miss it," he said quietly to her.

"What?" she asked quietly.

"You miss investigating and solving things," Tony said quietly. "I can tell. It's the look you get in your eyes when you are searching for something. Then, the way your eyes light up when you find out what it is… well, that's just incredible. You miss doing the job that you left."

Ziva thought about it. She had realized that yesterday, but she hadn't been fully ready to admit that to herself yet. She was only doing what she could to protect McGee. But, Tony was right, of course. She missed investigating horribly. But, she was not ready to go back on her word yet and Tony could see it.

"Doesn't mean you have to go back to it," he reassured her. "Just means that you're not ready to settle into anything new yet, if that's the path that you choose to take. You have two roads now, which is better than the many you had before. I can see it in your eyes, Zi."

"You're right," she said quietly. "I do miss it. I miss being able to offer an answer to the victims. I miss being able to comfort someone. I miss investigating. I miss serving justice for death without so much death involved. I miss working with you and Gibbs and McGee. I miss going down to see how excited Abby is getting over the evidence. I miss Ducky telling his stories which somehow link to whatever he is finding in an autopsy. I miss my desk and my computer. I miss sitting across from you every day. I miss everything about it.

"I am genuinely excited by my need to know about Delilah, but it is not the same as what I did at NCIS," Ziva finished.

"You're right," Tony said. "Nothing is going to be the same. But, where does your heart take you, Ziva? What are you dreams? Do you want to surround yourself with death? Do you want to put yourself in the line of fire? Do you want to deal with catching and interrogating criminals? What do you want to do, Ziva?"

"You have missed all the good about the job, Tony," Ziva argued lightly, pointing this out. "What about the relatives, when they finally have an answer and have some justice? What about the working together as a seamless unit to solve a mystery that means life or death to someone? What about saving the ones we have the chance to? What about the satisfaction knowing we have made a difference in someone's life?"

"Do you want to take the badge back, Zi? Do you want to go back there again? Will it bring you back there again? With all the terrorists and evil things that happen in the world," Tony asked her.

Ziva nodded her head, but didn't answer. She had to think this through and Tony could see that about her too. She definitely needed to think this through. She wanted to do what she loved, which was solving crimes, working with her family, and bringing justice to killers without necessarily killing those killers in a personal manner.

But, what would happen to her if she went back to that? Would she become as broken as she had before? She had a lot to lose now. She had Tony, but she could lose him more easily if she wasn't the one having his back. She had her life and freedom from it all, but she would still be free from her past if she went back. She would be starting with a clean slate and with the experience she needed to get the job and also with the boss's approval, she thought.

She looked at Tony with determination in her eyes. He could see her mind was made up. She knew what she was going to do and Tony smiled at her. He had helped her think only by asking a few simple questions, but he had always known what her real calling was, it was just a matter of if she would come to terms with that and when and if it would affect her negatively. He hadn't pushed, he had only asked a few third-party questions, stepping away from his own desire to have her back at his side in the field.

He walked to her and pulled her into a hug. "Then, you know what you have to do," he whispered to her and she smiled at him, thankful for his unrelenting support no matter what she decided to do. Even if it went back on something she had promised to give up. Perhaps she should have written "for now" on the list with that item.


	22. Chapter 22

I Will

* * *

The following morning, Ziva nervously went into work with Tony. She knew what she had to do, yes, but she was nervous. She couldn't even say why she was nervous. She had dealt with Gibbs for nine years and Vance for five. It wasn't as if she was facing anyone new by walking in. Yet somehow, she couldn't help the way her eyes slid through the familiar office, looking for a new face sitting at her desk.

She followed Tony up to the Director's office, where they were asked to wait. Tony sent a text message to Gibbs, because he knew that he was going to be (technically) late for work by sitting with her.

**I'm here. But, I'm going to be late to my desk. Important. I'll explain later.**

Ziva had asked Tony this morning if he would go through this with her, at least the waiting part. She was pretty sure she could handle actually asking for what she wanted from Vance on her own, since he had practically forced the badge on her during the summer. She knew that he wanted her back despite the fact that she hadn't wanted to come back.

Ziva was bouncing nervously as they waited for the call to come into the office that she kept staring at eagerly, excitedly, and nervously. This was what she wanted and perhaps that was why she was so nervous about it.

Tony's phone buzzed. He opened the text message and read it.

**Better be a god damn good excuse, DiNozzo. We'll be out on a scene for a while. See you when we get back.**

He nearly laughed and showed Ziva the response. She smiled. She knew what Gibbs wanted too. He wanted his whole team working together and this was her idea to surprise him.

The door to the Director's office opened.

"Mr. and Mrs. DiNozzo, come on in," Vance said quietly. "I trust you've made a decision, Ziva, if you're here?"

"Yes, Director, I have, but… it's not any of the things you've offered," she said nervously.

"I see. I hate to see you go from this place. You were an asset and would have proven to be to any of those three departments," Vance said, frowning at her.

"That's not what I meant, Leon," she said quietly. "I was hoping that I could fill the empty position on your Major Case Response Team again."

His jaw dropped and then his face broke into a smile. He laughed. Then, he composed his face again. He opened a drawer and pulled out a badge and a gun. He set them on the countertop.

"I hoped you would return one day, so I held onto them. Welcome back, Special Agent Ziva DiNozzo," he said quietly. "Boy do I have some paperwork to do!" he laughed. "Doesn't matter. We're glad to have you back. You two get down to the squad room and get ready for the other two to come back. Ziva, the box that was on your desk is behind it. All your stuff is there. And, welcome back, again."

He shook her hand and smiled at her one last time, truly pleased by her decision, and definitely pleasantly surprised. He hadn't expected it, because she had been so certain of herself upon giving up the badge. But, he remembered something he learned as a kid. There was a saying: "You never know what you have until it's gone." She had the opportunity to get it back and he was genuinely happy that he could give it back to her.

Tony and Ziva left the office and Ziva noticed that her credentials said DiNozzo on them and she laughed and showed Tony.

"He was hoping, I guess," Tony said, also chuckling along with her and beginning to help her organize her desk to exactly the way it was before she decided to stay behind in Israel.

He hadn't even reorganized his desk, since Dornegat had sat at it during his absence. When they were done with her desk, she came over and helped him organize their desk. He took out his picture of Ziva from Paris and taped it back to his computer screen. She taped another picture there, one of them at their wedding in Tel Aviv, Israel in an olive orchard behind the synagogue, as they kissed happily, sealing their vows.

They smiled at each other and took their seats at their desks, waiting for the rest of the team to return from the crime scene, and smiling senselessly at each other for the surprise they now had for everyone upon their return.


	23. Chapter 23

I Will

* * *

The elevator door slid open as Tony and Ziva sat on top of their desks, having one of those infamous silent conversations. Their eyes slid to the elevator only to reveal Abby, who was coming up to wait for the evidence. Tony and Ziva shared a look and smiled at each other as Ziva nervously fiddled with the badge that now sat at her hip, like she was used to having it.

Abby's jaw fell open and she nearly ran over to Ziva. She stared at her for a long moment. She took in the fact that Ziva was actually there and sitting casually on top of _her_ desk, with all of _her_ things surrounding her. Abby's eyes slid to Ziva's hip where the shiny badge was standing out from the rest of her outfit and the credentials were sitting next to her reading "Ziva DiNozzo" in large enough letters. Then there was the gun at her hip and Abby started to laugh with excitement. Finally, she calmed down.

"They're just going to love this. I'm going to my lab. Tony take my cell phone, so I don't spoil your surprise," Abby said. "I mean, obviously it's a surprise, since you're not at the scene with them this morning and Gibbs was complaining about your habits of reading a clock and showing up late. This is probably the best excuse for showing up late to work, when you're already at work, that I've ever heard of! Way to go Tony and Ziva!"

Abby hurried off without another word, handing her cell phone to Tony, who was laughing at the reaction they had just gotten from Abby. They knew that if Abby was upstairs she had been waiting for the evidence to come in, which meant that the others were almost back.

Ziva and Tony moved at the same time. They slid off their desks and made their way around to the other side, to get started on what was already loaded into the system on the case. They updated themselves on everything that the crime scene had held and then the ding of the elevator came. They carefully continued their work and compiled everything that needed to be compiled for the big screen for when the others came in.

There was a gasp to Ziva's right and their footsteps stopped dead. Her credentials were still sitting on her desk as she worked to catch herself up on this case that she had missed the crime scene of.

"Ziva?" Gibbs asked, with a tone of surprise.

Both Tony and Ziva looked up. They saw Gibbs face was completely shocked, showing emotion (other than a pleased smile or a stern look) for the first time in who knew how many years. He was staring at Ziva and the things on her desk. He reached out and took her credentials in his hands and read them. They were the same credentials that she had used not that long ago. He was smiling. He walked around to the other side of her desk and pulled her out of her chair and pulled her into a hug.

"Great to have you back, kid," he said, holding her tightly. "But, I think it's going to take me a while to get used to having two DiNozzo's on my team."

Ziva smiled at him. Gibbs went around to Tony and Ziva looked at McGee who looked entirely confused.

"Great excuse for being late. You surprised me, was that your intention?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes," Tony said with a smile. "We decided on surprising you with Ziva's career choice before she made a decision. So, when she decided this, we talked about it and this was the only way to go. I'm just glad I made it through the office before you could see her making her way up to Vance's office. Then, I thought I should stay with her to surprise you myself with my gift to the team."

"Best gift I've ever had, DiNozzo. Thank you," Gibbs said, hugging the other agent.

"You're back?" McGee asked.

"For good," Ziva said. "And definitely to stay. This is what I want."

"I thought you were giving up the badge," Gibbs said quietly. "That's what you told us. I thought you were really giving it up."

"I tried, Gibbs," Ziva said. "And I needed to at least for a while. I am glad, though, that I am back. I am glad that I took the time to decide. You know, I believe it was you that told me that you don't know what you have until it's gone. I am starting to see the meaning behind that phrase and I am sorry that it took me so long to decide."

"I am so glad you're back!" Gibbs said, smiling the widest anyone had ever seen him smile before. "I can see that the others are as well."

"Did you tell Abby?" McGee asked.

"She was up here a few minutes before you," Tony said quietly. "Why don't we take the evidence down together."

"And, I will head down to autopsy to see what Ducky has," Ziva said with a smile on her face.

She didn't necessarily want to visit autopsy or witness another dead body, but she wanted Ducky and Palmer to know that she was back for good as Special Agent DiNozzo of course. She picked up her credentials and walked to the elevator with Tony and McGee. They left a very happy and thoroughly surprised Gibbs standing behind them to do his portion of the work. This was probably the best thing that he had experienced in a long time. His team was reunited properly now.

"Abby's probably ecstatic," McGee said in the elevator.

"Probably more ecstatic than she is about your girlfriend," Ziva said quietly.

"Really? You've been back less than a day and you're already picking on me?"

"You know what they say about old habits?" Ziva asked. McGee shrugged, hoping that Ziva had gotten this saying wrong, like she got so many others wrong. "They die hard."

McGee groaned. Tony laughed and Ziva chuckled lightly and happily and it was a beautiful sound to hear at NCIS once again.


	24. Chapter 24

I Will

* * *

Ziva didn't go into Abby's lab. She was going to let the boys deal with Abby and she was going down to talk to Ducky. She hesitated when the elevator slid open, suddenly missing the presence of Tony by her side. But, she knew that she had to get used to it, even at work, where he was with her most of the time.

She stepped out of the elevator and took in a deep breath before going to face death one more time. This was the hard part about the job, but the rewards were more rewarding than these times were difficult.

She stepped into autopsy and Ducky didn't even look up.

"You know I haven't got anything yet, Jethro," Ducky said automatically.

"I was just coming to see what you did have, since I missed the crime scene this morning," Ziva said quietly as she stepped over to the table and looked down at the victim.

Ducky stopped working altogether as soon as he heard the voice. He knew that Ziva was right behind him. He put down his tools and turned all the way around with one of his wide smiles on his face. He took off his gloves and pulled her into a hug.

"Oh, how I have missed you, my dear," he said quietly and kissed her on the cheek. "Are you here for a visit?"

"No, I'm back," she said smiling and pulling out her badge to show Ducky. "I was busy in Vance's office when Gibbs got the call to go out on the scene. Tony was with me. We were surprising Gibbs."

"He doesn't like surprises," Ducky said with a frown.

"He enjoyed this one, a little more than normal," Ziva said calmly. "It was almost strange to see him so happy."

"So, you are back for good?" Ducky asked. "Even though you promised to give up the badge?"

"I am back for good, Ducky," Ziva said. "And, I did give up the badge, for a while. It gave me the opportunity to think some things through and see which direction I wanted to take my life. I thought about many different options, Ducky and learned where my heart belonged. It was the same thing as with Tony. You do not realize what you have until its gone."

"That saying is absolutely correct," Ducky said with another soft smile. "And it is not usually learned until someone looses something or someone important. You lost both and were extremely lucky to have the opportunity to get it back. I am glad it has worked out for you."

"Me too, Ducky," Ziva said. "I do not even know how to express the gratitude I feel toward Vance right now for allowing me to take back my job."

"I think he understands," Ducky assured her. "Just as I'm sure DiNozzo understands…. Ah, but that's right. You are also a DiNozzo now, too. That will get confusing for Gibbs and the others."

Ducky laughed and so did Ziva. Then, Ducky filled her in immediately on the case before she returned upstairs to work with the others. Gibbs, she noticed, kept glancing over at her. By the middle of the morning they had someone to talk to.

"DiNozzo, McGee, go talk to him," Gibbs said. Both Tony and Ziva looked at him. "Ah, hell! Tony and McGee go."

Tony and Ziva shared a look with laughter in their eyes, but didn't dare to laugh in front of Gibbs, knowing that he was frustrated at the moment, because it was only a few hours since Ziva had returned and he already forgot that there were two DiNozzos on his team.

As soon as they were gone, Ziva filled Gibbs in on what she had found and he stopped her in the middle.

"It's going to take me some getting used to, having you around again," he said quietly with a serious expression. "But I am glad to have you back."

"Thank you, Gibbs," Ziva said, wondering where this was going.

"I'm curious, though," Gibbs said thoughtfully. "Tony's out in the field right now and you're here. There's a reason I sent him out there with McGee. I need to know if I need a fourth person on my team. I need to know if you can handle this."

"I can, Gibbs," Ziva said nervously.

"You two are partners," Gibbs said. "If I need to add a person I would rather do that than take away a person. Besides, maybe it'll get you and Tony off McGee's back for a while."

Ziva shared a quite chuckle and Ziva nodded. "I think I can handle it," Ziva said.

"Another question, more personal," Gibbs said. "What happens when you and Tony decide to have a child?"

"We will work it out, Gibbs," Ziva said. "One thing I have learned through all this, is Tony and I really can get through anything as long as we have each other."

Gibbs half-smiled at her and patted her shoulder gently. "Good. Go talk to Abby and see if she's got anything. I'm going for more coffee."

Ziva laughed. It was same old Gibbs. A second on a serious topic and back to work. She couldn't help but laugh this time, because she had expected the serious Gibbs when she had been sitting at her desk with her gun, badge, and credentials, not the emotional Gibbs that none of them had ever seen and hadn't been seen since Shannon, his wife, and Kelly, his daughter, were alive.


	25. Chapter 25

I Will

* * *

Finally, they were sent home for the night, having finished everything they could for the day on the case. They were waiting for Major Mass Spec to come back with results and the fingerprints and DNA to be run and they had a BOLO out on a car. It was all they could do for the day.

Ziva was exhausted and she flopped instantly on the couch as soon as they got home. They had stopped to grab some pizza, of which she ate a surprising portion, since she had forgotten about lunch earlier in the day with working again.

"I am not used to this," she said quietly as Tony joined her. "It has been a long time of just relaxing and going at my own pace."

"You'll catch up again, sweet cheeks," Tony said lightly. "But, we should both get some rest in case tomorrow is anything like today was."

Ziva smirked at him and suddenly she looked wide away. Tony noticed her seductive face and smirked also. He pulled her off the couch and led her into the bedroom with him, leaving reality behind and getting wrapped in her before they ever touched more than their hands.

They woke to the sound of the alarm the next morning and Ziva groaned at it and smacked it, hoping it would shut off. It didn't work, since it was Tony's cell phone alarm. He chuckled at her and kissed the back of her neck, which woke her up immediately. She glared at him for a moment before smiling. He chuckled again.

Their eyes were busy communicating, but Ziva interrupted them.

"Excuse me," she said quietly and got out of bed and walked calmly toward the bathroom.

She didn't feel well this morning and wondered if perhaps something on the pizza was disagreeing with her stomach. She held it and sat on the floor for a moment. Soon, the queasiness eased away and she began to get ready.

When she left the bathroom, Tony was looking at her curiously. "What took you so long?"

"I did not feel well, but I am fine. I suppose it was just the amount of food I ate last night," Ziva said with a shrug.

"As long as you're fine now," Tony said quietly and kissed her on the cheek. "Go get dressed so we're not late."

She smiled at him and obliged. When he came out she had a thoughtful look on her face as she was looking at her cell phone.

"It's almost Christmas time and I am apparently missing Hanukkah this year," she said quietly. "I don't know how I lost track of the days."

"Several months isolated from everything except me will do that to anyone," Tony said with a chuckle. "Which are we celebrating?"

"Both I suppose," Ziva said. "We can work on decorating tonight if we have the energy."

"I'm sure we'll manage something," Tony said with a slight kiss to her cheek before pulling her out the door and leading her down toward the car.

Tony watched Ziva throughout the day. Something in his gut was telling him that something was off. She looked fine though and was acting fine. It was just something about knowing she had an upset stomach that morning that didn't sit well with him. He had never known Ziva to get sick and openly admit it. _It is flu season,_ he reminded himself with a mental head-slap and shook it off.

Ziva, however, was experiencing something entirely different. For some reason all day she felt anxious and over-tired even though she had had plenty of sleep. She had slept after five a lot lately, so this wasn't anything new to her, but last night had been one of her earlier nights to fall asleep, so she shouldn't feel that tired. There was also the smell of coffee, which for some reason was bothering her this morning. She knew it was flu season, but she had never managed to catch the flu. She thought the lack of coffee was her excuse for feeling tired.

They worked and worked. Around two, Ziva's eyes started to drift closed and Gibbs noticed this with a chuckle.

"Ziva," he said quietly. "You get enough sleep last night, or is DiNozzo keeping you awake?"

"I'm fine, Gibbs," she answered, stifling a yawn, trying to cover it.

"Sure you are," he said, thinking about how old habits die hard.

McGee came back from lunch looking a little confused and awed. He had taken a late lunch on purpose, so that he could eat with Delilah. Abby was in the squad room at the time and she looked curious.

"What's wrong, Tim?" she asked.

"Nothing, I think," he said. "Delilah started talking about…."

"Never mind," Abby said and walked away before McGee could finish. She looked positively furious and Ziva noticed it this time. She glared at McGee and followed Abby down to her lab.


	26. Chapter 26

I Will

* * *

McGee stared after her in shock. She had just run out after asking him what was wrong. Now he was more confused than ever before. He turned to Tony as he watched Ziva follow Abby down to her lab.

"What was that all about?" he asked.

"Told you already, probie, she's jealous of your girl," Tony said to him quietly. "You didn't talk to her already?"

"No. I didn't think I needed to. It's kind of clear, I'm with Delilah," McGee said quietly, feeling suddenly very guilty for not clearing the ground with Abby also. "I'll talk to her later. I think she needs Ziva right now."

"My wife is pretty amazing," Tony said smiling. "But, she's not exactly an emotions expert; she only started allowing them to show recently."

There was then silence for the moment in the squad room. Ziva finally made it down to Abby's lab, where she found Abby sitting, curled in a ball under her table, with Bert, her farting hippopotamus. Ziva went and sat next to her underneath the table, feeling a wave of nausea as she sat on the floor. Her head spun a little and she jumped, causing her to hit her heat on the bottom of the table.

This caused Abby to laugh. But, Ziva, held up one finger and ran out of the lab and into the bathroom. Now, it was Abby who was curious about Ziva. Abby looked for a moment, wondering if she should be comforting Ziva or if Ziva was coming back to finish comforting Abby.

Abby finally got up and found Ziva in the bathroom, sitting with her back pressed against the wall and her head in her hands. Abby joined Ziva.

"That did not go as planned," Ziva said quietly. "I think I am coming down with something."

"Apparently," Abby whispered and shrugged. "What do you mean, as planned?"

"Well, I was going to comfort you," Ziva said with a smile on her face, not daring to move, because her head was still spinning. "Now apparently, you have come to sympathize with me."

Abby laughed again at the reversal in the situation. Both girls were laughing on the bathroom floor for a moment before it got silent again.

"So, you are jealous of this Delilah, are you not?" Ziva asked.

"I don't know, Ziva," Abby said shaking her head. "I just don't like her for McGee."

"Have you ever liked anyone McGee has chosen?" Ziva asked her curiously.

Abby shook her head and hugged her knees. She had left Bert in the lab, where he belonged, and now wished she had him.

"Let's talk about something happier. How is married life with Tony?" Abby asked, her eyes lighting up again, the way they did when she started to get excited.

"It could not be better," Ziva admitted. "I am very happy. I do not think I have ever been this happy."

Abby smiled. "That's great, Ziva. How did you end up coming down with something? I thought you didn't get sick?"

"I can get sick," Ziva admitted. "Usually it is not this bad. But, I guess it was my turn to get sick." Ziva shrugged. "I just don't usually show that I'm sick."

Abby laughed again, but her laughter was cut short by Ziva's phone ringing from inside her pocket. She looked at it and it was Tony calling her.

"Shalom, Tony," Ziva said into the phone.

_"Gibbs is looking for you. You should probably come back up as soon as Abby's okay,"_ he said into the phone.

"I'm on my way now," Ziva said. "I made her laugh anyway. You might find it funny too. I will tell you about it later, though."

Abby was laughing again beside Ziva, imagining the look on Tony's face when Ziva told him about how she hit her head because she jumped, probably because she didn't feel well. Ziva finally hung up the phone. She stood up and swayed on the spot and then sat back down, holding her head.

"Are you sure you're okay, Ziva?" Abby asked, concern coming into her eyes. "I didn't think you hit your head that hard."

"It is just spinning. It was spinning before I hit my head, which was what caused me to jump," Ziva said quietly. "I will be fine."

Ziva rose slowly and then walked into the elevator and leaned against the wall of it as it went up. She looked at her watch and noticed that it was passed lunch time. She entered the squad room again and looked at Gibbs, who was hard at work as always. Was it inappropriate to ask for a lunch-break?

She sat at her desk, clutching at her head and her stomach at the same time. Gibbs said nothing and wasn't even looking at her, so she put her head down on her desk, and her forehead was pressing into a pen uncomfortably, but she didn't care, because she almost felt normal like that.

"Ziva?" Tony asked.

Now Gibbs looked over at her. "Something wrong, Ziva?"

"I think I am coming down with something," she admitted. "Could I get lunch and see if that stops my head from spinning horribly?"

"Go ahead, kid," Gibbs said, sounding concerned and looking at DiNozzo, who was already at her side and helping her up, watching her sway dangerously.

Ziva got her bearings and smiled at Gibbs, walking out with Tony. "I do not know what is going on. This is unusual," Ziva said quietly. "My head spins. My stomach is upset. But, I am hungry. I am also tired. It is strange. Probably the flu or something."

"Maybe. Do you need to go home for the day?" Tony asked. "I'm sure Gibbs would be okay with that."

"I will be fine, Tony," Ziva said. "I am sure eating will make me feel better."

"Then, let's eat," Tony said quietly.


	27. Chapter 27

I Will

* * *

"So, tell me what you did that made an unecessarily jealous and overly upset Abby laugh?" Tony asked as they sat down for lunch outside the building on the lawn, with some sandwiches.

"Oh!" Ziva said laughing already as she remembered her moment of unusual klutziness. "Well, I found her curled up under her table with Bert, and I went to sit down next to her. When I did my head started to spin at the sudden change in altitude, and I jumped. I hit my head and it made her laugh. But then I felt sick, so I needed to go to the bathroom. We were laughing in there before you called."

"You hit your head? You jumped?" Tony laughed for a moment before his face turned serious again. "But honestly, love, I'm a little worried. First, you're feeling sick, now you're dizzy and sick? Did you actually get sick in the bathroom?"

The worried look on Tony's face was enough to break Ziva's heart. She slid closer to him and put a hand on his cheek. She looked into his eyes. They got lost for a moment before she found any words to say. Looking in his eyes like that was always a sure way to lose her train of thought.

"Yes, I did. Maybe you were right. Maybe I should go home," Ziva said and looked down at her food, which suddenly seemed much less appealing then it had only moments ago.

She made a face at it, but when that wasn't enough and her nausea level rose even further, she stood up and walked out onto the lawn a little ways. She had one hand clasped over her moulth and the other arm clamped around her stomach, breathing deep breathes of the fresh air around her now and focusing on that. Slowly her stomach began to ease. She breathed deeply as she began feeling the relief and heard Tony joining her side.

His hand wrapped around her low back and pulled her into him taking her into a tight hug. He didn't know what else to do. His scent was a very good thing and she felt suddenly very at ease and not at all sick.

Ziva was confused to say the least. This wasn't like any flu she had ever heard about Before. But she didn't know anything with these symptoms off the top of her head. Ziva squeezed Tony a little tighter As she felt tears coming into her eyes.

Tony's arms tightened around her as he realized that she was crying. He wasn't so confused, though he realized Ziva was. He had a nagging suspicion that he knew what was going on and he was having a hard time controlling his own emotions for her sake.

"Let's get back to the office," Tony said quietly to her. She nodded and wiped her eyes as she allowed Tony to lead her back across the lawn and to NCIS.

Ziva didn't speak, there were a million thoughts running through her mind as she walked. They made their way into NCIS and both got back to work. Ziva suddenly remembered that whatever was bothering McGee was left unsaid.

"McGee, what were you going to say earlier? What was Delilah saying that had you worried?" Ziva asked, as she twirled one of her knives in her hand while walking over to his desk.

"I was probably just over-reacting, but she was talking babies and houses and things like that. I just... Well, I haven't given it much thought."

Ziva dropped the knife and it stuck straight into the floor. She had a shocked look on her face. She was standing in front of his desk staring blankly at the wall behind him with her jaw hanging open. Her eyebrows slowly rose higher and higher, until they couldn't go any higher. Once they were there they stayed for a moment and then pulled together thoughtfully, but her lips stayed parted. She knew Tony, McGee, and gibbs were all looking at her curiously, but she didn't care at that moment.

Slowly, Ziva's face changed to one of comprehension and she looked down, her hands finding her stomach and nearly cradling it. Then, she turned slowly to Tony and her face broke into a smile. There were tears in her eyes and she let out a soft chuckle.

Tony had seen that sight once before when he had left her in Israel the second time. Now, it was a very good reason to see this face, and he was smiling, too. He stood up and walked over to her and pulled her into a hug and laughing and crying at the same time.

"Um...," McGee said, trying to comprehend what was going on, but his thoughts were interrupted by Tony pulling Ziva into a kiss, since they had both forgotten where they were and what they were supposed to be doing.

Gibbs cleared his throat through a soft chuckled as the two younger agents got completely lost in the moment they were sharing In front of all their coworkers.

"Pretty sure I know what's going on, but could you two keep the celebrating to a minimum at the office?" He asked, still laughing quietly, trying to sound a little more serious.

Ziva's face turned bright red and she laughed into Tony's shoulder and clinging to him tighter. His arms tightened around her. They looked at Gibbs smiling widely, without any hint of apology in their expressions. Then, they turned back toward each other.

"Time to cross the last item off the list," Tony whispered, making Ziva laugh again.

"Did I miss something?" Abby asked as she came back into the squad room.

"Yes," Ziva said with a mischievous grin. "McGee is in way over his head and he is terrified. And if he is not, then he should be. Honestly McGee, my thought is you were right in not thinking any of that yet, because it is all too soon. You have known the girl for only a little longer than six months."

"That was what I thought, too," McGee said, his face turning a little red as the conversation suddenly shifted back to him, and now knowing that Ziva had, in fact, heard what he said to her as she came to some exciting revelation earlier.

"Well, if we're still talking about her, I should head back to the lab," Abby said.

"We weren't doing much talking anymore, Abby," Tony insisted.

"Nope," Gibbs commented, "you're right, DiNozzo, you two were doing more grab-ass than talking."

"And I missed it?" Abby asked, sounding disappointed and looking shocked at the two of them. "Gibbs, how come they're still alive if they were doing that in front of you?"

A/N - Sorry this took longer... And it's done on my iPad, so I am hoping my proofreading skills still work really well.


	28. Chapter 28

I Will

* * *

"Sometimes, Abby, there are really good reasons to play grab-ass," Gibbs said, watching Tony and Ziva get lost in each other again. "DiNozzos, go home and celebrate. Obviously you're not going to be much use to us here today."

"Yes, boss," Tony said, chuckling and leaving Ziva's side to grab both their gear and head toward the elevator together.

"What did I miss?" Abby asked, her eyes narrowed. "What did you mean by celebrate, Gibbs?"

He chuckled and shook his head, grinning quietly to himself. He continued on with work and so did McGee for a moment.

"Boss, is it wrong for me to be freaked out about what she was talking about?"

Gibbs looked up at the Junior Field Agent, with one eyebrow raised. Usually, he avoided these conversations, but Tony and Ziva weren't there and were obviously distracted today, and Abby was obviously avoiding the conversation and anything else involving Delilah. Gibbs sighed and his face relaxed back to an unreadable expression.

"Ziva's right," Gibbs said calmly, "you haven't known the girl very long. Just my opinion." Gibbs shrugged.

McGee didn't say anything else; he just got back to work without a comment. Abby stood watching the two men, wanting to know what she missed. But, she knew she wasn't going to get any answer at the moment. She continued to stand watching for another five minutes without moving, then hurried off to her lab as though there was more work for her to do there, even though her part of the case was done for now.

Once Abby was in her lab, she heard her cell phone go off. She narrowed her eyes and walked over to it and looked. She noticed it was a message from McGee. She took a steadying breath and decided to read it.

**I think we should talk. Are you free tonight?**

Abby was taken aback by the message. She certainly hadn't expected McGee to want to talk to her about anything anymore, since she was being very jealous and a little over-sensitive about Delilah. She had to reply, but she didn't know if she could handle a talk with McGee at the moment. It was a shame that Ziva wasn't there for an opinion. Abby really needed to collect her thoughts if she was going to sit and talk with McGee though, because she was on edge around him lately and she knew exactly why, but it wasn't Delilah's fault.

**Sure. When and where?**

Abby was a little nervous for the response. She was bouncing on her toes and her stomach was tied in nervous knots and she felt guilty, suddenly, for her attitude toward Delilah; she didn't even know the girl, really.

**Chinese restaurant near your place, right after work, if that's alright?**

She replied with a "yes" and found work for herself as she tried to occupy her mind with other things. She was sure she had some explaining to do this evening to poor McGee, since it was his girlfriend that she had an inexplicable vengeance toward.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tony and Ziva were standing happily in their bathroom looking at a small white strip, with a little pink plus sign on it.

"We're finally having a family," Tony whispered, as though he had waited for this all his life.

"I never thought I would come this far in life," Ziva said and Tony looked at her curiously. "Tony, I was Mossad. I did not think I was going to live to see my thirtieth birthday; I never thought I would find someone to trust; I never thought I would fall so completely in love with someone that reality seemed like a dream; and, I certainly never thought I would become a mother. I do not know how to tell you how complete you make me feel."

Tony pulled her into him and pressed his lips passionately and roughly to her lips, knowing that even though she had worked through her past when they were in Israel, she still had to get used to feeling safe and having someone she could rely on all the time.

Ziva got the message that his kiss held for her. He understood and felt just as complete and she was everything he ever needed. She responded to that kiss just as passionately and allowed him control of where it was going after that, though she already knew where it was going.

Tony pushed her backward through the opened bathroom door and through the bedroom door. Her hands tangled through his hair, pulling him closer to her and further backward into the bedroom, until her knees hit the edge of their bed. They shared a few whispered words in Hebrew before Tony pushed her back onto the bed and showed her just how much he loved and needed her in his life.

About two hours later, Tony rolled to his nightstand and pulled out two pieces of paper, smiling to himself. He grabbed a pen from his nightstand and sat up. He held it out to Ziva.

"You do it. You are the only reason that I can have all this, and it's fitting for you to cross it off my list," Ziva said quietly.

Tony held the paper close to him, but couldn't see what was on the paper, he took a long time, and then handed her the paper, smiling at her.

Tony had crossed through her last item with a line of small hearts and a smiley face at the end. But, what caught her attention was the added item to her list. It made her smile and snatch his list from him, before he could cross out his own item. She read the last line on her list one more time.

_I will love you forever and always. - Tony_

Ziva snatched the pen and crossed off his last item in the same way that he had and wrote her own message to him.

_I will hold your heart within my own always; I will cherish and never take for granted anything we share; I will love you beyond the end of time and with more than every fiber of my being. - Ziva_

When Tony took the list back from Ziva, he smiled and tossed them both to the side, claiming his wife for his own once again and worshiping every inch of her body.

* * *

A/N - This one is also done on my iPad, since I am away from home. I tried my best to keep the errors to a minimum.


	29. Chapter 29

I Will

* * *

Abby and McGee made it to the restaurant at the same time. They took their seats and chose their orders, talking of their day at work. They started with small talk, since that was easier than what they really needed to talk about.

"So, what was the deal with Ziva today?" Abby asked.

"Oh, that," McGee said, his face going red. "Well, I said something and she just kind of looked shocked and I noticed she wasn't really listening to me anymore."

"What did you say?"

"What… I told her what Delilah was saying at lunch today," McGee said nervously. "Anyway, I think Ziva realized something… why she's been sick and stuff lately, you know."

"What's the reason?" Abby asked.

"Well, I think she's pregnant. I think she thinks she's pregnant, too, based on how her and Tony were reacting," McGee said.

"That would be a good reason for Gibbs to ignore their office behavior earlier," Abby said chuckling. "Also explains the problems Ziva's been having…." Abby went silent for a moment, staring at McGee. Then, she took a breath. "We have to talk about your… your girlfriend."

McGee nodded. He didn't want to have this conversation anymore than she did, apparently. She was fiddling with her fingers on top of the table and McGee was looking anywhere but her. He knew she was jealous and he knew why she was jealous and he felt a little guilty for making her feel that way, but he was tired of waiting for her when she clearly didn't know what she wanted. Did she know now? Did that make a difference?

McGee couldn't decide these things right away, because there were other factors in his life at the moment. He simply needed to talk to Abby and get everything out in the open.

"Listen, Abby… I'm sorry if I've flaunted her in front of you or anything," he said quietly.

"That's the thing, Tim," she said quietly. "You really haven't. I've just been… well, I've been over-reacting a little…. Alright, I'm jealous, sure, but I don't have a right to be, do I? I mean, honestly, what happened between us was a long time ago and I should… I should be through that right now, shouldn't I? I should. I'm sorry. I will try to be nicer to Delilah. You wanted to talk to me about her earlier…. What did you want to say? I'm so sorry I ran out on you, I've been a terrible friend."

"She was talking about babies and houses at lunch," McGee said dully, putting his head into his hands.

Abby playfully pushed his elbows off the table and he laughed. "No elbows on the table," she said in a strange voice, that was supposed to mimic the voice of his father and he laughed harder. She was glad she could lighten the mood. "What did the others say about it, Tim?"

"I think it's too soon," McGee said. "I've only known her about nine months. Only been dating her for six. It's just too soon to think about those kinds of things for me. But, I don't know what to do…. I wish I could get Tony's advice or Ziva's, but I doubt that will happen tonight or any other time in the near future with them having something huge to celebrate what she's going through."

"I think it's too soon," Abby whispered, trying hard to keep the jealousy in her at bay as she gave him advice.

They were silent as their food arrived and silent while they ate. This was going to require more than a few whispered comments toward one another and they were both beginning to realize how long this was going to take.

"Abby, I need to know why you're jealous… and, please, don't lie," McGee said.

"You," Abby said quietly. "I don't want you to be hers. It's simple as that."

"I see," McGee said quietly.

They continued to talk on the subject for a while, going around in circles. Abby wasn't really answering his questions and he kept purposely leaving small loopholes so they wouldn't have to deal with direct answers.

About an hour later, McGee's phone started ringing, while they were laughing about the way things used to be between the team, before the mess with Parsons. McGee looked at it and frowned, realizing that he didn't want to see, hear from, or communicate with Delilah while he was sitting with Abby. He had a lot of thinking to do since this was the case and he was avoiding her anyway after her very serious comments.

He was supposed to hang out with Delilah tonight and he had told her that he needed to work late, but not all night. That had given him time to talk to Abby and he realized now that it was much later than he would be working if he was simply working late and not staying over at NCIS. McGee didn't answer the phone. He didn't send a message. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do right now, but it was nothing that involved Delilah.

He and Abby parted ways an hour later after a little more small talk. They were back to themselves for now, but nothing had been resolved and nothing else had been brought up, thankfully, but he knew that these small conversations were far from over.

They left with a hug and went to their separate apartments, which neither was very far from this place, which was another reason that McGee had chosen it, even though it was closer to Abby's place. Tim parked in front of his building and went inside, to find an angry-looking Delilah right there.


	30. Chapter 30

I Will

* * *

There was a knock on Tony and Ziva's door late that night. Ziva was already sleeping, but Tony was still awake. He realized that the workday had taken more out of her than she was used to with a child growing inside of her. _His child_, he reminded himself with a smile forming on his face.

Tony gently kissed the top of Ziva's head and carefully started to move out from under her. She clung to him and he nearly chuckled at the protective nature that a sleeping Ziva had to her. He was smiling, certainly.

"Door's getting knocked on. I'll be right back," Tony said quietly.

"'M comin' too," Ziva mumbled, lifting herself out of bed and forcing her eyes opened a little, still clinging to Tony. She yawned and glanced at the clock. It was midnight already and she definitely wanted to be sleeping. "Who's it?" she groaned.

"I don't know," Tony said, nearly laughing at Ziva's less than perfect English which was now laced with a much stronger Israeli accent because of her sleepiness. "Let's go find out."

Tony took Ziva's hand and Ziva groaned again, hearing the knock on the door for herself, shortly before her phone started to ring. She shrugged at it and walked with Tony to the door.

"Oh, this is going to be good," Tony said. "It's McGee."

Ziva's face lit up in comprehension, even though she was still half asleep and forcing her eyes to stay opened. It was really a good thing it was Tony that had woken her up, because otherwise the person would probably be dead. They both knew this.

Tony opened the door and let McGee inside. He looked at them and then had a guilty expression on his face. He was looking at Ziva. She was wearing only Tony's Ohio State T-Shirt and clinging to him, barely able to stand under her own power. Her eyes were halfway between opened and closed as she stood groggily leaning on Tony for support.

"Sorry I woke you," McGee muttered.

"'Sokay… you need to talk," Ziva muttered and dragged Tony to the couch and sat down with him.

"You're tired," McGee said frowning at Ziva, never having seen her like this before. Tony was chuckling to himself, but didn't dare to do so out loud. He was certainly a chicken when it came to dealing with a certain Israeli ninja.

"Yup," Ziva agreed and plopped next to, nearly on top of, Tony.

Tony caught her as she swayed a little beside him, still suppressing his own laughter at her. He had never seen her quite so tired before either, but he had gotten closer to seeing this side of Ziva than anyone else had. Normally, if Tony wasn't next to her, she would have been alert within a fraction of a second at the sound of someone knocking on the door.

"How'd the talk go with Abby?" Tony asked, reading McGee's face.

"How did you know about that?"

"He'snot stupid," Ziva slurred, forcing her eyes opened again. "It's obvious."

Ziva yawned again and the more she looked tired the worse McGee felt for coming around at midnight on a school-night. He had never known Ziva to go to bed early for anything, let alone be nearly this exhausted when someone did, by chance, call or come around near her at midnight.

"Well, it went," McGee said. "Don't think I said anything important, but we talked."

"Sure you did," Ziva said, hearing more knocking on the door. "Guess there's the downside. These two. We're living together."

Ziva smiled sleepily and rubbed her eyes, yawning once more. "That'll be Abby, then," Tony said, finally allowing himself to chuckle. "So, before Abby joins us… what's the deal?"

Ziva was halfway to the door and stopped to listen. She was smiling at McGee's hesitation.

"I don't know, Tony," McGee said. "I can't shake it… you know what I mean?"

"I think so," Tony said, staring at Ziva. "Listen, if it's meant to be it will find a way to happen. But, you need to decide first which girl you want and which girl you don't. You also need to finish the conversation with her."

"I know, Tony," McGee said.

Ziva was laughing as she got to the door and saw that it was Abby standing there. She pulled the door open, suppressing another yawn that was threatening her now. "Good morning or goodnight, Abby," Ziva said, stepping aside to let her in.

Abby didn't move. She didn't want to talk to Ziva in front of McGee, but perhaps this was a good thing. "Or you could come out?" Abby suggested quietly and in a tone that was almost shy.

Ziva nodded and followed her out. Now they were separated from each other and Tony and Ziva were separated too, which was not what either one of them wanted. Ziva leaned her back against the wall, rubbing her eyes and yawning, yet again. She then looked at Abby and waited for her to speak, while Tony was inside staring at McGee in much the same way, waiting for McGee to speak. Which would speak first and how much would they tell from each other and how much they had deduced from previous conversations.


	31. Chapter 31

I Will

* * *

Inside, Tony looked at McGee and glanced at the door as it closed. He knew that Ziva was exhausted and he wondered why the other two just didn't see it. They had work in the morning and they had to be at their very best for the job they did everyday. He sighed and turned back to McGee, looking a little agitated.

"So, you can't shake this feeling? What exactly are you feeling, McGoo?" Tony asked.

"I'm not sure… I mean, I feel like… like I have to protect her from things. I'm scared for her when she's not in her lab and sometimes even when she is in her lab. I want her to be happy. I care whether she is or not. I don't want to be the reason she's upset or jealous or hurt," McGee explained quickly. "But, I don't know exactly what it is."

"Wonderful, McGenius," Tony said with a sigh. "Do you like her? Do you have feelings for her? Are you attracted to her?"

"Who isn't?" McGee asked.

"I'm not," Tony said honestly. "But that's beside the point."

"Yes, it is," McGee said. "So, is Ziva pregnant?"

"Not the topic right now, McGee," Tony reminded him. "We're not talking about that right now. We're talking about you and Miss Sciuto."

"I am attracted to her. But, I'm with Delilah, this doesn't even make sense how I feel right now. I've been ignoring Delilah all night because it feels wrong to talk to her after the way I talked with Abby," McGee said.

"How did you talk with Abby?"

"Honestly, for the most part," McGee said. "But, we still danced around whatever is going on in our brains."

"That's the problem then," Tony said. "You just need to spit it out already and get it done with, McGee. It's funny, you know. You can figure out a computer but not a girl. Which is supposed to be more natural? Just follow your gut, your heart, your instincts, however you want to look at it."

"My gut is telling me to be loyal and see this thing through with Delilah. My heart is telling me to stop hurting Abby and protect her from Delilah and what I'm doing with her. My instincts are just confused," McGee protested.

"You are a complicated man, McGee," Tony said with a smirk, leaning back on the couch and wondering how things were going in the hallway.

* * *

"So, tell me how your talk went with McGee," Ziva finally said after five minutes of staring straight at Abby and trying to get her own thoughts in order, since her brain was still very groggy since she wanted to be sleeping more than anything right now. She knew part of this was the hormones and she realized that the last week of over-tiredness was due to them as well.

"Well, it went," Abby said quietly. "We were more like ourselves than we have been in a long time. But, we were dancing around the topic mostly. You know, like you and Tony did for a long time. But, McGee and I have been avoiding it for far longer than you and Tony ever did. I mean, you guys were like ten years in or something."

"We gave in over the summer Gibbs was away," Ziva said with a shrug and a quiet yawn. "We gave in then and then frequently after that up until I was in Somalia. The next time we gave into it was in Berlin. Although, we almost gave in the night that Mike Franks was killed."

"You never told me any of that. I thought we were best friends. Aren't I supposed to know this?" Abby asked. "And, why didn't you give in the night Mike Franks died?"

"Fear," Ziva said. "Fear of the memories."

"But, you were with Ray before that?"

"Not like that. Not at all," Ziva said quietly, shaking her head. "I never slept with Ray. I couldn't. He wanted to marry me because he thought I was waiting for marriage for that. He was simply trying to get the piece of me that I wouldn't let him have. Now, back to you and McGee. What did you talk about?"

"Us, sort of," Abby said. "And everything else in the world. He doesn't mean to hurt me and I know I shouldn't dislike Delilah the way I do. She never did anything wrong to me, but she's with McGee and I can't shake this feeling that she isn't right for him and I don't know how to say that or show that to McGee. I just want everything back to the way it was. It was so much easier then. I knew what to expect."

Ziva's jaw hardened and she stood straight and stiff as a board. "I do not want things the way they were. I am happy, no matter how complicated it has gotten. I am better now and have dealt with my past and I do not have to run from the love of my life as though my life depends on it. Moving backward is the wrong way to go. We need to move forward and so do you and McGee. You need to figure out how you feel about him. Just remember that sometimes you do not know what you have until it is gone. Many are not as lucky as I was to get it back, Abigail," Ziva said sharply to her friend, turning and beginning to pace the halls. "Figure it out."

Abby looked startled by Ziva's harsh tone and hadn't expected that out of Ziva. Ziva had been acting strange. Abby stopped her and Ziva nearly threw her to the floor, since Abby had grabbed her from behind. Ziva hesitated upon seeing Abby and let go of her wrists. She sighed.

"You're acting strange," Abby pointed out.


	32. Chapter 32

I Will

* * *

"I'm pregnant and I'm over-tired, Abby," Ziva said. "McGee woke us up. Then, you came along and you expect me to stand out here and be awake and act as a counselor to your problems. Figure it out and talk to McGee about it. I cannot help you figure it out because even if I tell you what you know, you will doubt it until you can figure it out for yourself. Look at me and Tony, you tried to tell us we were in love a long time ago. I did not believe you until I figured it out on my own."

Ziva re-entered the apartment, with Abby following right behind her. She was fuming. McGee and Tony were looking at her. Tony recognized the fury in Ziva's face and hadn't seen anything like it since they had found out that Ilan Bodnar was the one behind her father's death. He knew that he had to calm her down before she hurt Abby or McGee for waking her up.

Tony stood up and walked over to her, holding her in his arms for a moment. He felt her relax into his arms. "Would you like some tea, love?" he asked quietly. She nodded and he left her there.

Ziva sat on the couch and laid back the long way, leaving no where for Abby to sit, figuring she would put her head down on Tony's lap when he came back. Abby was staring at Ziva in fear after her outburst in the hall. Ziva was playing with a knife as Tony came back with her tea.

"Thanks for offering us a drunk, Tony," McGee said quietly. "You two make great hosts."

"Shut up, McGee," Ziva hissed. "If you wake us up at midnight, you should not expect the best hospitality."

He gulped, seeing the danger in Ziva's face as she glared at him angrily. She sat up to allow Tony a place to sit and then she rested her head on his chest and they all looked at the couple. Ziva was furious, but she was so relaxed around Tony and they weren't used to seeing this side of either of them.

"Listen," Tony said quietly and much more calmly than Ziva. "Ziva isn't happy right now. You woke her up and she's exhausted, if you couldn't tell. You're lucky she doesn't sleep with a gun under her pillow anymore."

"When did she sleep with a gun under her pillow?" Abby asked quietly.

"Ever since she was first in Mossad," Tony said, already knowing this answer. "She stopped sleeping with a gun under her pillow when I came to her in Israel. She didn't in Paris or Berlin either and not when we were in Rome for the assignment or when she stayed here after her father died. She has always slept with a gun under her pillow. I remember when she did during our undercover assignment and it scared the crap out of me. You're just lucky, okay. Because honestly, you two kind of pissed her off."

"I can see that," McGee said quietly. "Our problems shouldn't be your problems. We should go."

"No," Ziva said. "You're here, you sit and talk and figure it out. As for me, I'm going to bed."

"Me too," Tony said quietly. "Be quiet, please."

They both moved off toward the bedroom together. Ziva glanced at the clock on her way. It was half past one in the morning and there was no way she was going to be up at six to be at work for seven and she knew it. She sighed and shook her head, thinking on calling Gibbs now about the other two having problems and waking them up in the middle of the night.

They reached the bedroom and they heard McGee and Abby begin a quiet conversation. They smiled at each other and climbed back into bed, thinking that this would be an easier night than they originally thought.

"Why did you come?" Abby asked.

"I could ask you the same," McGee retorted, almost painfully. "I came to get advice from Tony. You?"

"Came for advice from Ziva," Abby said. "She wasn't answering her phone. So I came over. I was determined to talk to her tonight before the conversation we had left my head. She wasn't full of great advice or any for that matter."

"Neither was Tony, really," McGee said. "So, this is weird."

"What is weird? My jealousy?" Abby asked raising her voice a little.

"I don't want you to be jealous, Abby," McGee said also raising his voice a little, forgetting that they were asked to be quiet. "I don't want you to be jealous. Why can't you just make this easier for me?"

"Maybe it should be difficult for you since it's also difficult for me," Abby nearly shouted at him and they heard the door creak at the back of the hall where Tony's bedroom was. "Maybe you need to know how I feel. How would you like it if I was dating some random guy that you didn't know anything about?" McGee's face turned red and Abby huffed. "That's what I thought!"

"Told you to keep it down," Tony said as he and an angry-looking Ziva were standing in the hallway. "There's honestly no point in getting angry with each other."

"Listen, I know what is going on. McGee, you love Abby. Abby, you love McGee. McGee, you are dating Delilah. Abby, you are jealous of Delilah. McGee, you are angry that Abby is jealous. Abby, you are angry that he is reacting to your jealousy. Obviously, the problem here is Delilah. I know that you have ignored at least two phone calls from Delilah since knocking on our door based on when your phone has gone off and the expression on your face. If you do not answer the next call…."

She was cut off by his phone vibrating and he looked down at it and grimaced. His eyes flickered to Ziva who was smirking. She was across the room faster than anyone could react. She had the phone in her hand and she glared at Ziva. "I will," she said to him and pressed the talk button on the phone to talk to Delilah.


	33. Chapter 33

I Will

* * *

"Special Agent Ziva DiNozzo, this is McGee's phone," Ziva said into the phone. Her tone was like ice and her expression was dark and dangerous as she shot a glare at McGee that clearly reprimanded him for ignoring his phone all night so far, while he blew off plans with his girlfriend and came to Tony and Ziva for advice on what he should do.

_"Hi, Ziva. I've heard a lot about you. Is McGee around?"_ Delilah's voice asked into Ziva's ear. She smirked.

"Yes, he is here," Ziva said quietly, but said nothing further.

_"Could I talk to him?"_ Delilah asked her.

"You know, for some reason he seems to be neglecting his phone this evening and that is against our boss's rules. Rule three is never be unreachable," Ziva explained calmly into the phone and said nothing else.

_"What does that have to do with him not answering my calls?"_ Delilah asked, sounding very clearly confused.

A smile formed and placed itself on Ziva's lips. She was laughing to herself.

"He should be answering your calls, too. You are his girlfriend, are you not?" Ziva asked. "He ignored Tony earlier this evening."

_"He ignored a coworker? What's going on? Do you know? Why is he there and not at his place? Why did he blow off his plans with me? What's going on? Are you guys working?"_ Delilah asked, sounding very worried all of a sudden.

"Do not worry, so much. There is nothing to worry about now," Ziva reassured the woman on the other end of the phone. "McGee seems simply to be having a difficult evening. He showed up here in the middle of the night and woke Tony and I up to talk. He has been talking to Tony for some time. But, my friend also showed up, looking for some help."

Ziva didn't sound pleased at all, and she didn't even manage to sound polite anymore. She was shooting dark looks at both McGee and Abby as she stood there explaining to McGee's girlfriend why he was there instead of with her.

"I really didn't mean to wake you, Ziva," McGee said loud enough for Delilah to hear. "Can I talk to Delilah?"

"No," Ziva said. "I am not done getting to know this woman."

Delilah, on the other end of the phone sighed. McGee, on the other hand, swallowed hard, fearful of what Ziva might say to his girlfriend about the situation that he had put himself in tonight.

"This is what I think happened tonight, Delilah. Abby, the forensic scientist at NCIS, was having a bad day and McGee offered to talk to her, as he always does, because they are good friends," Ziva explained. "They got caught up talking and now they are both here, talking to us. So obviously whatever the problem during the day was, it is unresolved and you should allow us to resolve this tonight, before I become more irritated with being woken up in the middle of the night when I am exhausted."

There was silence for a moment on the other line and McGee and Abby were sitting with horrified looks on their faces at what they realized they were doing to Ziva, who was pregnant. Tony was smirking at his wife and nearly laughing at the wildness that was returning to her suddenly with the addition of some hormones and the subtraction of a lot of sleep.

_"I'm sorry he woke you and I'm sorry he brought you in the middle of whatever was going on,"_ Delilah said slowly. _"I can talk to him if you want?"_

"That will not be necessary," Ziva said into the phone. "I think he understands how angry he has made me tonight, based on the expression on his face now. But, I would like to resolve this and sleep a little bit before I need to work in the morning. So, I will let you go and we can talk more later and really get to know one another."

_"Sure,"_ Delilah said and hung up the phone. Ziva also hung up the phone and turned a glare to McGee and Abby. Tony now walked over to Ziva and took the phone from her hands and set it down on the piano next to their own phones, where they had taken to leaving them at night recently; especially when they wanted to pretend that they wouldn't get called in during the night ever.

"Why wouldn't you let me talk to her?" McGee asked suddenly, sounding very offended.

"You did not want to talk to her, obviously," Ziva shot at him. "That is why you have been ignoring her all night and blew off your plans with her to talk with Abby, is it not?"

He hung his head and Abby looked halfway between appalled and flattered. She was staring back and forth between Ziva and McGee. Ziva looked like she had not slept in a week and Abby suddenly felt guilty for helping to cause this anger.

Ziva obviously noticed the changes in Abby's expression and her guilt in her eyes, because she spoke to Abby before anything could be said by her or McGee.

"Work it out and it will be worth it," Ziva said quietly. "However, if you do not, I will not be happy, since I am losing sleep for my family to fight and bicker like small children fighting over a new toy. I think that Tony might agree with me and if Gibbs was here he would tell you to clean up the messes you make."

They both nodded and looked between Tony and Ziva. "And this time we're staying here," Ziva added with a glance to Tony and Ziva sat down next to him.

"Talk," Tony insisted to the other two in his living room.


	34. Chapter 34

I Will

* * *

"Where do we start?" Abby said.

"How about whatever is bothering you and causing you to come knocking on our door after midnight?" Ziva suggested.

"Okay. Well, McGee and I talked tonight. I... I'm jealous of Delilah," Abby admitted openly, even though she knew that the others were very aware of that. "I don't have the right to be jealous of her, because McGee, you weren't ever mine, but I am jealous and I can't help it. I tried to be patient with it and work through it on my own, but that's not working. The more you talk about her the more I don't like her. I just don't think she's good enough for you, but I've felt that way about every woman that you've dated… always. I guess, I just expected that nothing would change between us when you were dating her, but they did. They always change when you date someone and I don't like it. We have a good relationship usually, but everything is so strained right now with Tony and Ziva being married and you being in a relationship that seems to be growing more serious by the moment… and I'm so sorry that I haven't listened to you, that wasn't fair at all. I should listen when you talk to me… I know that I'm part of the reason our relationship has changed. I'm not okay with this and I'm trying desperately to be…."

Abby cut herself off before saying more. She was biting her bottom lip, knowing that she said far more than she had set out to say to McGee. He basically knew everything. That scared Abby a little bit and caused Ziva's eyes to widen from where she was sitting on Tony's lap now.

"McGee?" Ziva said, acting as the arbitrator for the discussion. "What do you have to say for why you showed up here?"

"I'm sorry, first that I woke you," McGee said. "I'm sorry that I'm interrupting your much-needed sleep for this. Yes, Abby, I know you're jealous of Delilah and I had no reason to be angry over it. I'm sorry. I just expected you to be okay with it and you're not and I haven't been very considerate of your feelings lately. I came because I can't get you out of my head lately and it's been going on longer than I care to admit to."

"How long?" Abby asked quietly, in a voice that was nearly inaudible.

"Years," McGee admitted, his face turning pink. "That night we shared… well, I enjoyed it even though it was so long ago."

"You still think about that?" Abby asked. "You have a girlfriend who you are perfectly happy with."

"But, I'm not," McGee said. "Don't you see it? I'm not perfectly happy with her. I settled for her. Delilah is a great girl and everything, but she's not what I really want. Damn! I feel like you, Tony!"

"Hey, I'm a married man," Tony said quietly.

"I mean how you used to act," McGee corrected himself. "You used to go and settle for whatever woman came along and ignore the fact that your mind was elsewhere."

"That's what you're doing," Tony said with a shrug.

"Not the point. Abby is on my mind, because Delilah isn't who I really want. I'm settling for Delilah. She is not what I see in my future, though I'm not sure what I want to see there anymore. I do like her, a lot, but she started talking babies and weddings today and my head hasn't ever tried to go there," McGee said, his face turning pale. "I can't even think about seeing her more than twice a week and hell! I blew her off tonight!"

"We are getting somewhere," Ziva said quietly. "Tell me, how do you feel about Abby?"

"Strongly," McGee said in nothing more than a whisper. "But, I also want to see how things pan out with Delilah, but I fear that I haven't given her a real chance yet, because my heart wasn't ever in it."

"Follow your heart, McGee," Tony said quietly. "That's where you'll find happiness. You too, Abby. Follow your heart. Are we done, now?"

"Yes, for now," Abby said. "McGee, I'm sorry I'm causing trouble."

"It's not you causing trouble, it's me," McGee said. "Ziva, can I have my phone back. Delilah's at my place and I really don't want to spend time with her at the moment. I have a lot of thinking to do."

"Then, stay here, but don't break anything and be quiet!" Tony said sharply.

"Thanks, Tony," McGee said quietly. "Thank you."

"Well, I'm going now," Abby said, her eyes trained on McGee as his found hers. "Goodnight again, Tim, Tony, Ziva."

Abby left, closing the door harder than necessary behind her. Ziva yawned and Tony pulled her off the couch with him. "Let's get some sleep, my love," Tony said.

It had been a long night and Ziva had one more question for McGee. She turned to him and noticed that he was already staring in her direction. "I think I'm in love with Abby," McGee admitted.

"That was the most obvious thing I have ever heard before," Ziva said quietly. "Now, I'm tired. Sleep, McGee. Goodnight."

Tony and Ziva headed off for the bedroom, thankful that the long and never-ending night was finally coming to a close. It was only four in the morning and that had taken far longer than they thought it would, but they had finally gotten the two talking on something real and something important to discuss. But, they were all exhausted now.


	35. Chapter 35

I Will

* * *

Ziva was out as soon as her head got to Tony's chest. He chuckled then. Seeing Ziva that exhausted was a little adorable, but he really hoped that she could get enough sleep to survive work the following day… or rather the rest of this day, since it was after four already. He watched her sleeping for a moment while he worried about whether or not she would be rested enough the next day. Perhaps if they got a case, he would ask to not have her in the field. He would have to discuss that with her and see how she was feeling first, though. He just wanted her safe.

He tightened his arms around her and smiled to himself as his own eyes slid closed. Before he could drift off he leaned in and pressed a very gentle kiss to the top of her head, wishing there were words for how deep his love was for the girl in his arms. He had never imagined feeling this deeply about someone, but now that he had it, he couldn't imagine his life without it, much the way that Ziva coming into his life had been.

He slid into sleep quietly and happily and didn't let go of his tight hold on his girl, on his wife, on the mother of his child. But, the phone began to buzz and his eyes flew open. He stared at it. He could reach it, though he didn't want to. He reached over and picked it up. Gibbs was calling.

"DiNozzo," Tony whispered into the phone.

"Sorry if I woke you," Gibbs said immediately, realizing that Ziva probably hadn't heard the phone going off if Tony was whispering. "We got a case. I need you to wake Ziva and get here."

"Boss…," Tony said in a worried tone. "She just got to sleep. She's exhausted. McGee came knocking and woke her up. He's still here."

"Doesn't matter right now. This one needs all of us. It's a kidnapping," Gibbs said into the phone, sounding nearly as concerned as Tony did. "I'm sorry, really. I'll make it up to both of you."

"Thanks," Tony groaned and hung up the phone.

He sighed and placed a kiss on Ziva's forehead, wanting to smack McGee, because it was really his fault that Ziva hadn't had nearly enough sleep. Gibbs was not at fault here, he was just doing his duty.

"Ziva," Tony muttered. "Zi, we've got to get up again."

She shook her head against his chest and clung to him tightly, without opening her eyes. He frowned at the silent protest she was putting up.

"Gibbs called," Tony whispered sadly. "We've got a case we can't miss. Kidnapping."

She groaned. "Don't wanna get up," she muttered with a yawn.

"I know, sweet cheeks," Tony said quietly. "Trust me, I know."

"I'mma kill McGee," she whispered and forced her eyes open. "With paperclipssss."

She yawned loudly and sat up, rubbing her eyes. Tony sat next to her and realized how exhausted she was. He frowned again. "I'll make some coffee, but not too much. Just enough to get you going."

"Mhm," she hummed. "Thanks."

She pulled Tony to her and pressed a kiss to his lips and it was an intense one, showing him that it didn't matter that he was the one to actually wake her up both times. He knew that she would rather him waking her up than anyone else in the whole world. He leaned into the kiss, feeling the intensity of it and responding to it. He had to remind himself that he had to work very soon. He pulled away first and she chuckled at the lack of self-control she saw behind his eyes. She was more awake after that, but knew that it was only a temporary effect. If she had to kiss him at the office all day, she would, despite what Gibbs thought about all that.

He could see the devious look in her eyes and he chuckled too, knowing what she was thinking simply by the fact that she was already more alert.

"I'm in for a rough day, aren't I?" he asked her.

"You bet," she said with a smile. They both laughed and got out of bed.

They dressed quickly before going to the couch in the living room. Ziva was smiling.

"McGee!" she said sharply and he shot up to a sitting position very fast, his eyes springing open and looking startled. "We have a case. Get up, go home, get dressed, get to work. Do not be late, because if you are, I will find a store of paperclips to use on you!"

"Right," he said quickly and shot off the couch as quickly as he could and bolted for the door, knowing that Ziva was definitely angry with him as he glanced at the clock telling him it was only five in the morning.

Ziva laughed at his fearful look. "You don't have to be so mean to him, you know, he's already terrified of what's coming," Tony said, also chuckling.

"I know, I don't have to be. But, perhaps that will teach him not to wake up a sleeping, pregnant, ex-Mossad Assassin in the future," Ziva said with a smile on her face.

"True," Tony said laughing at her statement. "Let's go. Make him suffer since we'll be there first. Gibbs will lay it on him as soon as he sees that you're more alert than he is and already at the office when you've had no sleep."

"Yes, he will, won't he," Ziva said quietly, as she took Tony's hand to head downstairs and off to work to solve a kidnapping in a timely manner and return the child to his or her parents before too much worry could be had. Ziva was already sad over the case and she didn't have any details yet.


	36. Chapter 36

I Will

* * *

By the time Tony pulled the car into park at the office, Ziva was half asleep in the car again. He sighed and went around to get her door. He held her up and looked deep into her eyes. They had to make it through today. They had no choice. Ziva nodded, once she finally received the message his eyes were sending and she blinked a couple of times, wondering what Gibbs was going to say. With that, Tony gave her a tight hug and held her close to him. He was worried too, considering none of them had slept and all four who hadn't slept were getting called in. At least he, McGee, and Abby could have some form of caffeine to help. But, not Ziva. She could only have a certain amount because of the pregnancy and she had filled that quota for the day.

They stepped into the elevator, their eyes still locked onto one another, lost in their thoughts and in their own personal world, before they had to come back to reality and return to work and a case. The elevator dinged when it reached their floor and Tony took hold of Ziva's hand and held it tightly in his own as they exited, something that they normally wouldn't do at the office.

Gibbs was nowhere to be seen. Ziva sat on top of her desk and Tony held her close to him, comforting the exhaustion that he knew she was feeling. He was beginning to feel exhausted himself and that was without extra hormones affecting him. McGee walked in a moment later, yawning quietly, trying to hide it from the other two. Abby walked in right after him, rubbing her eyes and looking at the two guiltily. Gibbs came in after they were all there.

"You four sleep?" he asked, looking at his three agents and the forensic scientist with a curious expression. "Or did McGee and Abby keep you two up all night?"

"Second option," Ziva muttered from Tony's chest, suppressing a yawn. "We will be fine."

"You don't look like you will be, Ziva," Gibbs argued with her. "You look like you're going to fall asleep on DiNozzo. Abby, McGee, if you two ever do this to these two again, then I will have your heads, understood?"

They both shook their heads and Abby looked a little concerned, because Gibbs hadn't ever gotten angry with her for any reason and he certainly had never shown it if he had. He had never threatened her, not even when it involved keeping Ziva safe or healthy. She could see that a protective fatherly side to him was showing through right now that she hadn't ever seen in him before. She blushed a little at the strong emotions showing on Gibbs face as he handed Ziva a coffee, no doubt her second one for today.

"Take it," Gibbs urged her. "It won't do any harm. You can go over the recommended amount once in a while, I'll just make sure I don't call the two of you in when it's not something this important and you'll have more normal work hours than the others. You two need to be a family and that's very important, otherwise, life isn't worth living."

Ziva smiled at him and took the coffee, trusting his advice more than anything else in the world.

"Okay," Gibbs said. "Missing girl, thirteen, name is Amanda Johnson, daughter of a marine who is currently deployed in Afghanistan. She was staying with her grandmother, who was just found dead in their home. Her father was killed when she was a baby. Her uncle reported her missing, but hasn't been seen or heard from since. We're going to the home to collect evidence now and then we'll come back here and do our thing. We've got forty eight hours to satisfy me, people. And, if I'm not satisfied with the timing of it, I'll blame McGee and Abby this time, for exhausting all four of you. Honestly, McGee and Abby, it could have waited until a more reasonable hour, whatever it was."

"I know," McGee muttered as he grabbed his bag.

"Come on," Gibbs said. "DiNozzo, drink that coffee. I expect you to have Ziva's back even on a scene. We don't know what we'll run into and she's not running on all cylinders right now."

"What?" Ziva asked with a confused expression that caused a slight wrinkle between her eyebrows and pulled her forehead into scrunches.

"Like a car, Zi," Tony said quietly. "Cars run on cylinders, when they don't have all of them, they aren't as efficient."

"I can be efficient when I'm exhausted, Gibbs," Ziva argued.

"Not saying you can't be, just saying that we need to watch for over-exhaustion when you're already so tired. Remember your body is constantly changing now, and you still have to adjust to that."

"Right," Ziva said grabbing her backpack and picking up her knife to put at her side.

"Only one, Zi?" Tony asked.

"Only one. I'm trying to cut back on the amount of weapons I carry now, before my stomach is so big that I can't hide them as well," she explained. "It's difficult."

He chuckled and her face held a smile, something he was glad to see, since she was so tired. She laughed at her own thoughts, since she was so accustomed to carrying many weapons instead of only two total, one knife and one gun. She wished she had more, but she was going to have to trust Tony to have her back, the way she always trusted Tony with everything. She smiled again and planted a kiss on his cheek as they stepped into the elevator.


	37. Chapter 37

I Will

* * *

They arrived on the scene and it was only six in the morning. Ziva had finished the entire coffee and seemed to have plenty of energy for the moment. Her and Tony were in the girl's bedroom, looking for any sign of a struggle. They collected a picture of her with her mother.

"There's no sign of a struggle," Tony said quietly and thoughtfully. Ziva turned to him, surprised to see a very sad look on his face. She walked over to him, comprehending where the sadness was coming from.

"That means that the person who took her was someone she knew and trusted," Ziva whispered, feeling a tear forming in her eye and blinking it back before it could show to her husband. "Are you going to be okay through this?"

"I honestly thought I would be the one asking you that question," Tony said quietly a smile coming onto his face, but not reaching his eyes, which were still sad. "I will be okay. How about you, Ziva?"

"So far, I am fine," she whispered. "It does make you question who will be around your own child, though, doesn't it? I am starting to see why these cases affect Gibbs so much more than the rest of us."

"He's lost a child," Tony whispered with far too much emotion in his voice. "Come on, let's go downstairs and give this story a happy ending."

"That sounds like a great idea, Tony," Ziva agreed and took his hand, not something she ever wished to do at a crime scene ever before, but knowing that they were both going to need it on this case in particular.

They headed downstairs together, holding the bag with the picture of the girl and her mother and nothing else in hand. Gibbs was searching the living room with Ducky telling him a story about what he thought the uncle was like based on the house that they were standing in now. Everything here was neat and organized, almost obsessively so. There wasn't a single spot of dirt to be seen anywhere, as though it was cleaned more than often enough. Ducky was analyzing the lack of photographs and the lack of other giving details about a person. He was in the middle of saying something about it when Tony cleared his throat.

"Did that make me a little strange, Ducky, before I had Ziva in my life permanently?" Tony asked.

"Yes, Anthony, I suppose it did," Ducky said with a nod. "However, you didn't live with anyone else and I don't believe that you reported anyone missing and then disappeared from a home that looked as though it should be a display in a magazine or at some fair selling homes."

"No, it didn't," Tony agreed, wagging his head back and forth, still fighting strong emotions about the case. "I don't like the uncle already and I've only seen his home. We need to go back and get details on this guy and the girl and her mother. We need to learn all that we can. Boss, the room was clean. There was no sign of a struggle up there."

"Attacker was someone she knew and trusted," Gibbs muttered thoughtfully. "I don't like these cases, but we have to do what we have to do. You two get a head start back and McGee, Ducky and I will head back right behind you. Get another coffee into your wife and get to work on the uncle and the girl. McGee and I will handle the mother, unless you two think you're up for it?"

They nodded their heads and walked out of the house without really answering Gibbs. Both of them knew that it was a difficult conversation with a military mother about their missing child and them being so far away from being able to help. They also knew that these were typically easier cases when the other parent was so far away, because they didn't get in the way of the investigation as much.

When they finally climbed into the car, Tony noticed the hard expression on Ziva's face and knew instantly that she was pulling away emotionally. He decided to let it go for now, because she felt she needed to be strong for this case and strong for Tony who had nearly lost it upstairs in the girl's bedroom before. He drove in silence back to headquarters and took her hand when they got into the elevator.

Ziva sighed and reached behind Tony, stopping the elevator and sipping her coffee before looking up at Tony. There were tears pooling in her eyes rapidly and spilling over immediately following that. Tony felt powerless against her tears. But, Ziva couldn't help it; she had held on as long as she could in the car and on the scene.

Ziva didn't know what to say to Tony; she didn't know how to react to this strong wave of emotions that was washing over her now. So, she just leaned in and hugged Tony, wanting the comfort that only his arms had ever presented to her. He wrapped his arms willingly around her and held her as close to him as he could get her, knowing how she was feeling without her saying a word to him about it.

"We'll find the girl, Ziva. We have to," Tony muttered quietly. "We have to."

Ziva nodded into his chest and just stood there for a moment. Perhaps that was why Gibbs had sent them back earlier, she thought. Perhaps Gibbs had seen how close to losing it she really was and had sent her back just in time, so that she could do so with Tony there for her in all the ways he needed to be.

Ziva gained control over herself almost as quickly as she had lost control of herself, but clung to Tony a moment longer, because she didn't know what her emotions were doing right now. They were surprising her today so far. She reached and pushed the switch on the elevator again and looked into Tony's wondering green eyes.

"I know we will, Tony," she said quietly and turned just as the elevator doors slid open. She took another sip of her coffee as they entered the squad room and went their separate ways to their desks to get to work on finding information on the missing girl.


	38. Chapter 38

"Damn it! We need to find that uncle!" Gibbs shouted as he glanced outside at the setting sun.

It had been a long day to say the least. There had been tears and fights and struggles like no one would have believed out of the MCRT at NCIS. Gibbs had even seen Tony lose control for the first time since meeting him, completely in tears. Ziva had snapped at Ducky of all people and screamed at him for not having enough information for her to bring up to Gibbs.

Gibbs in some respects wanted to laugh at the dysfuncionality of the team, but he knew that this particular issue was going to be what would break them instead of solving the case. He looked at the sleepy-looking Ziva then the worried-looking Tony and to the guilty-looking McGee.

"We're trying, Gibbs," Ziva said icily.

"That's it, dinner time!" Gibbs said angrily. "McGee call Abby and Ducky up here. We're taking a dinner break and relaxing our minds through it!"

Nobody questioned him, not even Vance who was looking at the team curiously. He just continued standing there watching the overly dysfuntional team do as they were told in calling Abby and Ducky upstairs to go to dinner. He knew that something was going on that he didn't see yet, and he was going to trust Gibbs to handle whatever it was.

For Vance's part, he had never seen Tony looking so emotional, never seen Ziva looking so tired and snapping at Gibbs or Ducky. He had never seen McGee looking so guilty (not even on the day he had lost his credentials). He had never seen Abby look so spitefully toward anyone as she was at Gibbs right now. He hadn't ever known Gibbs to snap quite like that at his team. He knew that something was up and disrupting the way the team was running and he whole-heartedly agreed with a dinner break for them to discuss this.

Once Abby and Ducky were upstairs, looking confused Gibbs glared around at everyone. "McGee go get the van, we're going to my place for some sandwiches and a small talk about what's going on today, before anyone says something they don't really mean. Then, we're coming back here and finishing this up with clear heads," Gibbs said, sounding slightly more calm than he had only a moment ago.

They followed McGee downstairs. Tony was holding Ziva to his side and Vance's eyes narrowed as he tried hard to spot the reason for the difference in their work behavior today. They had relied so heavily on each other, but Vance couldn't spot it. He shook his head and hoped that Gibbs knew what he was doing.

The ride to Gibbs' place was deadly silent and when they got inside, Ducky helped make some sandwiches for the team. They ate in silence and Gibbs had some bourbon. The only two who didn't have any of Gibbs' bourbon were Tony and Ziva and the only one who didn't know why was Ducky.

"Okay, let's get something out there," Gibbs said quietly looking around at his familly. "We are a family and we sometimes have problems. You all need to work together at work. Whatever problems you have outside of work need to stay outside of work from now on. Ziva, I know you're pregnant and this is an emotional case for both you and Tony, but get control over who you are snapping at and when. Abby, there's no need to glare at everyone because of some conversation you didn't complete with McGee. McGee stop looking guiltily at Tony and Ziva before I decide I need to smack you. Ducky you've been very patient, thank you."

"Sorry, Gibbs," Ziva said.

"Don't worry, Ziva. You're over-tired," Gibbs said, shaking his head.

"That doesn't give her an excuse for treating us the way she has today!" Abby remarked.

Gibbs stood up and walked over to Abby, and for the first time since knowing her, smacked her on the back of the head. She rubbed her head and shouted, "Hey!"

"That's for keeping Ziva up and for not understanding," Gibbs said. "Trust me, pregnancy hormones are not fun to deal with."

"I still don't see why I'm getting a DiNozzo slap!" Abby said. "You just don't do that!"

"And usually you are more understanding," Gibbs argued back at her.

Abby didn't say anything else. There were tears in her eyes, but she didn't say anything. Gibbs stood up and took the glasses. "Back to work," he said quietly.

They all stood up and suddenly they all felt a little better. Gibbs had gone out of his way to make sure everyone was working together and they were now determined to work better together. Abby still had tears in her eyes. Ziva glanced at Tony and Tony nodded to her. She walked to Abby and pulled her into a hug.

"It's okay, Abby, everything will be alright," she whispered to her.

Abby smiled tearfully at Ziva and embraced her tightly and led them out of the house and back to the van. By the time they arrived back at work, they were laughing at one another and especially at Ziva's exhaustion, because her Israeli accent was much stronger when she was so over-tired.

Within minutes of being back they not only located where the uncle was but what he was up to. He was their main suspect for the case. Gibbs unwillingly sent Tony and Ziva to go get him. They had insisted and he was a little nervous that their exhaustion would be a hinderance. But, McGee was just as tired as they were and hadn't had as much coffee that day.

He really hoped that they would get the job done well and have each other's backs in the field. He was half tempted to go with them, but he needed to have a conversation with Vance by the looks of things. Vance was now involving himself in this case and watching the team curiously because of the changes that had taken place over the course of a short break. Gibbs met him at the top of the stairs and nodded toward Vance's office.


	39. Chapter 39

I Will

* * *

Gibbs stepped into Vance's office and Vance closed the door behind them. He stood in front of Gibbs for a short moment and blinked a couple of times silently wondering how best to word what he wanted to ask. He rubbed his hand over his face. He was tired from checking in on his usually best team all day and now late into the night.

"What's going on with your team, Gibbs?" Vance asked.

"What do you mean?" Gibbs asked. "They're getting the job done, aren't they?"

"They are," Vance agreed quietly and looking very thoughtful. "But they're not themselves. Not a single one of them is acting themselves today. Abby is irritable. McGee is somewhat clueless and looks guilty. Tony is emotional. And Ziva seems to have gone back a decade and returned to her Mossad version of herself. But all four of them are clearly exhausted."

"Just family drama, I'm sure," Gibbs said with a shrug, wishing not to share with Vance now that things were running smoothly again.

"It's more than that," Vance said, looking at Gibbs with a hard stare that nearly rivaled Gibbs' stare.

"No," Gibbs said.

"Yes," Vance argued.

"No," Gibbs disagreed strongly.

"Yes," Vance said again. "And don't argue with me as though we're children. Maybe I haven't known them as long, but I know them nearly as well as you do. Something's off."

"Fine, something's off. That's their business," Gibbs said.

"Until it affects their work and then it becomes my business. Tell me what's going on with them," Vance insisted. "I mean, seriously! You're allowing Tony and Ziva to show their relationship in the office and you, of all people, are against that sort of thing!"

"They're going through something and need each other at the moment," Gibbs admitted. "But that's something you'll have to discuss with them and not me. As for McGee and Abby, I'm assuming it's trouble with their friendship due to the relationship that McGee is now in with Delilah, who he ditched last night and was talking instead to Abby and I am nearly certain that he is ditching her again tonight because of a case. They went to talk to Tony and Ziva last night, keeping them awake. That is why they're all exhausted."

"It was affecting their work," Vance said with a hard expression on his face. "Why don't you give them the night off?"

"Not with a missing girl to be found," Gibbs said shaking his head. "You know how I work as well as they do. When it involves children, they come first."

"I hope you've fixed whatever is going on, Gibbs, because they'll need it if they're going to bring this girl home before her mother flies in from Afghanistan. Has anyone talked to the mother?"

"I took care of it," Gibbs said. "Stop worrying, Leon."

"Now, this thing with Tony and Ziva... is this something I need to force out of them or are they going to come talk to me? Is this something they should be sharing with me and aren't going to think of on their own?"

"You'll need to take them aside and talk to them. But, not until after the case. The case is more important at the moment and you know that, because of the nature of the case," Gibbs said.

Vance only nodded. It was the only thing he could do. "Get to work, Gibbs. As soon as it's closed and before the paperwork is signed, you send Tony and Ziva DiNozzo up to me."

"As you wish, boss," Gibbs said sarcastically and left the office.

By the time he arrived back in the squad room, Tony and Ziva were already back and heading toward the interrogation room with their main suspect. He wasnt in cuffs since they didn't have any proof tying him to the case yet, other than the phone call reporting the girl missing and his absence since them, nearly twenty-four hours ago.

He watched them go and then grabbed McGee and Abby and led them toward the observation room. Ducky was already in there. They were going to have front row seats to the show where two nearly parents were going to interrogate this uncle of the missing girl, knowing he was a suspect.

"This should be entertaining," Gibbs said, slightly out of character for him with a half a smile appearing on his face.

Ziva shut the door and turned around. Tony pulled out the chair for her to sit in and she nodded toward him in a thank you. She sat down, back straight, and folded her hands in front of her on the table, her wedding ring showing in front of her. Tony stood behind her with his hands on the back of her chair in his normal fashion from before they were together. They were a force to be reckoned with and everyone who knew them already knew that; but, the others in the observation room were sure that they were going to be a stronger force of nature now that they were one with each other and parents-to-be on a missing person case.

"I am Special Agent DiNozzo and this is my partner Special Agent DiNozzo," Ziva said quietly, introducing them.

"I'm assuming you're not brother and sister," the man said quietly, looking pointedly at Ziva's wedding ring and her clear Star of David necklace before allowing his eyes to linger on Tony, who was clearly not Israeli and noting to himself that they didn't have Israeli last names.

"That assumption is correct. But, we're not here so you can investigate us," Tony said just as quietly as Ziva.

Gibbs, in the observation room, smirked. There was no good cop/bad cop with these two. This was either bad cop/bad cop or nice cop/nice cop. Those were both the same thing, but the approaches were very different and Gibbs silently marveled that they didn't even need a moment of eye contact to get their tactics straight anymore. Most cops needed to adjust and learn to work with another cop and would still need communication even after nine years of working together. These two were a golden team.


	40. Chapter 40

I Will

* * *

"So, you reported your niece missing yesterday evening?" Ziva asked going for the obvious question that had the obvious answer to it.

"I did," the man said.

"What time did you call?" Tony asked, using another obvious question with another obvious answer.

"Around six in the evening," he said. "I think it was like quarter of, or something like that."

"How long was she missing before you reported it?" Ziva asked intensely.

"She never came home after school," the man said. "She was supposed to be walking home with a friend. Jessica Martinez, according to her. She should have been home around four."

"So she was missing for only two hours? Does she have a cell phone and did you try to call her or her friend?" Tony asked.

"She doesn't have a phone. She's really angry with her mother for that. But, it's mom's call, you know? She's not allowed to have a phone. Only girl her age without one. I called Jessica's mother around four-thirty, and she hadn't heard from Jessica. But her mother wasn't worried, she said it wasn't unlike Jessica to not show up until bedtime lately. I thought she was a little nuts allowing a thirteen-year-old to walk all over her like that."

"And, why did you decide to call?" Ziva asked. "I mean, if Jessica's mother wasn't worried, why were you?"

"It's not like Amanda to just not show up when she's supposed to and when she says she's going to. It's not like her to take off without asking and without calling," the man said soberly, trying to hold onto himself.

"When did the police arrive at your house?" Tony asked.

"Around seven," the man said shamefully. "Metro doesn't respond quickly. I've heard it before from others. I was a little shocked that it took them over an hour to come over when we live right by the station."

"That is a little shocking," Ziva said, looking through the files and noticing the time stamps on everything and confirming the story, even though she knew it by heart.

"Where did you go when Metro was done with you?" Tony asked.

"To work," the man answered. "I work in Baltimore on the Police Department there. I was working a double shift. We've got two out on maternity leave right now and another one on vacation. We're all on tight schedules at the moment because of the lack of officers."

Ziva gave a small nod of her head and Tony looked back at the observation room while Ziva made a note in the file. "We do not have records of your working in the Batlimore PD."

"I work undercover," the man said quietly. "It's part of the job."

Tony simply nodded. "So, why were you at a supermarket after work?" Tony asked.

"Groceries still need to be bought. I still need to eat and hopefully Amanda will be home soon so she can eat too. Did someone contact her mother? Poor woman will be devastated after the way my brother went. He was a POW you know?"

"We know," Tony and Ziva said together, glancing at one another.

"Do you know anyone who might want to harm Amanda?" Ziva asked.

"Sure," the man said. "There's plenty. Her mother's a marine. Her father was a marine. I'm a cop. Anyone could be on that list."

"What were you doing before she got home?" Tony asked, his eyes narrowing.

"I was in the living room watching a movie," the man said quietly, wiping a tear from his eyes. "No one can confirm it, but you can run the GPS on the cell phone to double check. I've always got it on, in case she calls. I keep telling her mother she needs a cell phone in case something changes in the plans. She's getting older now and more independent."

Tony and Ziva nodded. "We would like you to sit tight for a little while here if you do not mind. We also want your prints and DNA if you're willing," Ziva said quietly. "This can help to rule you out as a suspect."

"Anything you need," the man said quietly.

The two left the interrogation room and entered the observation room without a word to each other and faced Gibbs. "He's not our guy," Ziva said. "He's clearly devastated by this disappearance and is having a difficult time with it. I can see it in his eyes. He's not our guy. We need to bring in the friend and the friend's mother. We also need to bring in anyone else that she came into contact with yesterday."

"I agree," Gibbs said. "Get on it. Abby and Ducky will collect the evidence from this guy. I'm not ruling him out yet, but he has a pretty solid case here. And he's too cooperative for a criminal... or at least a typical criminal."

"I'll call Baltimore and get his work history," McGee said.

"We'll go get Jessica Martinez and her mother," Tony and Ziva offered.

"And, I'm going to go get a list of potential suspects from this guy while Abby and Ducky do their work," Gibbs said. "Let's get to it."

They scattered off in their directions. All four of them to the squad room. Tony and Ziva sat down long enough to get the address for the friend and her mother. McGee started working on getting a non-emergency number for the Baltimore PD and Gibbs grabbed a notepad and some paper. They shared a slight nod when they were off in separate directions, doing separate jobs to get this thing done. Ziva yawned and Tony grabbed her coffee on his way out and handed it to her as she reached the elevator.

"The lack of sleep is going to kill me," she said.

"If you need sleep you need to talk to Gibbs," Tony said. "Family first. You do what you have to for family. It's the golden rule, the unspoken one that nobody talks about. It's actually the most important one there is. It is a Gibbs rule and we need to follow it just as we follow the other fifty."

"Fifty-one," Ziva said sleepily. "And I will be fine, but after this I will need at least three days worth of sleep. This is an exhausting case and I feel like we're getting nowhere. Our first twenty-four hours is already gone by. Some of those were spent pointlessly with Metro refusing to call us. I wonder what is going on at Metro."

"I don't know, but after this I want to find out," Tony said and then yawned.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who could use some sleep," Ziva pointed out with a slight laugh at Tony's exhaustion and how good he was at hiding it for her sake. She wrapped her arms around him briefly and they stared into each other's eyes while the elevator finished its descent and dinged when it opened. That's when they parted their eyes and bodies and made their way back toward the squad car to find the friend and her mother for questioning.


	41. Chapter 41

I Will

* * *

It was three in the morning when they finally broke the case. The absent father of Amanda's friend had Amanda. She was now sitting on top of Ziva's desk waiting for her mother to arrive. She had given a slightly curious look when Ziva had gotten up and sprinted up the stairs toward the catwalk and the other agent across from her had followed at the same alarming rate. The female agent had looked positively green, as though she was sick or something. It was a change from when they had picked her up.

Gibbs and McGee were in the interrogation room now, because Ziva had told Gibbs that she didn't think she could stay calm. It turned out to be a good thing as she slammed the bathroom door behind her only to hear it opening again as she just made it into a stall. She spilled the entire contents of her stomach into the porcelain bowl in front of her as she hugged the rim.

Tony kneeled down behind her and held her curls out of her way. He placed a comforting hand on her back and didn't move from that spot, reassuring her that she was not alone through anything. She finished what she was doing and wiped her mouth and flushed the toilet.

"You did not have to see that, Tony," she nearly moaned, when she met his eyes. He only shrugged. "It was disgusting."

"It's a part of pregnancy," Tony reminded her. "I'm all in, Ziva. If that means I have to sit with you when you aren't feeling well, I will do so. If that means that when you don't sleep neither do I, I'm still in. If that means we have to not drink or go out ever, I'm in. I just want to be by your side through it all, as long as you want me there."

"Of course that's where I want you," Ziva said quietly as she moved a little closer to Tony, her stomach still feeling rather upset, as though she had not completely emptied it. "I'm not sure I'm done yet."

"Take your time. I'm not going anywhere," Tony said quietly, stroking her hair.

She leaned her head on his chest and stayed there for what felt like forever. After some time, her stomach began to settle again and she stood up, pulling Tony with her and going over to the sink and washing her hands and rinsing her mouth. The taste was terrible and no matter what she did she could not get it to go away.

"Do you have any mints or gum, or anything?" Ziva asked.

Tony reached in his pocket and pulled out a mint. He handed it to her, realizing it was his last one. He had known that she might need some, but he had eaten most of them, for something to do during their hours of looking things up so far during that case.

Tony frowned at her and she looked at him curiously. He gently touched the dark circles under her eyes and pulled her into him. "You look exhausted," he whispered to her.

"I feel exhausted," she reminded him.

There was a slight knock on the bathroom door and they both jumped a little, but did not move. Abby came in and smiled at the sight of the two, but frowned as soon as she saw the dark circles under both agents' eyes as they looked at her.

"Umm... Gibbs was looking for you two. Case is closed. He said your job before you go home and sleep is to go talk to Vance. I guess he wants to see you or something," Abby said, almost timidly. "Did you two do something wrong?"

"Not wrong, Abby. We're having a baby and our big boss needs to know about it, so he can fill out all the paperwork, that's all," Tony explained. "His hand must be getting pretty tired from just the two of us. I mean, the whole Somalia deal, Paris, Berlin, my little vacation to the Middle East, my second vacation to the Middle East, you resigning for real, us getting married, you moving in, you coming back to work, now we're having a baby."

Ziva laughed and it was a beautiful sound. "I think his hands will be okay. If not, I am sure the paperwork can wait," Ziva said smiling. "But he needs to know."

They left the bathroom and Abby felt like she was seeing a whole-different Ziva than the one that had been at Tony's apartment twenty-four hours ago; the one that was so angry with her and Tim for keeping them awake and had narrowly avoided yelling at Delilah, too, for calling Tim so many times.

Tony and Ziva stopped in front of Vance's office and turned to face each other, suddenly a little nervous at what Vance was going to say to these two. They hadn't even managed to make a doctor's appointment yet and they were certain that he had a lot of questions he was going to ask in regards to their plan, which they had not had the time to figure out yet, due to the strenuous case that they had just solved.

They stood there, for more than a minute, just staring into each other's eyes, getting their own thoughts straight. They seemed to be thinking the same things if they were judging the other's facial expressions. It was like their minds, hearts, and souls were now one thing and they were forever connected in a way that nobody except them could understand fully.

They would be honest with Director Vance, because he was their boss. They had only just found out that Ziva was pregnant and they would figure out a plan tomorrow, when they were not catching up on sleep. They were also sure that they were going to get questioned on why they were so tired and why they had been acting a little strange toward McGee and Abby and they were going to be honest about that, also, because it was the right thing to do.

Ziva took a breath and took Tony's hand and reached for the office door. He pulled her back a little. He had a look in his eyes as though he wanted to say something, but he was silent for another minute as they stood there, looking at each other lovingly.

"Whatever happens, I've got your back, always," Tony reminded her. "Vance should be easier than telling Gibbs, not that we really needed to tell Gibbs... he knows everything. But, Vance will ask questions that we don't have answers to."

"I know, Tony," Ziva said quietly. "We will do this together, just as we do everything else. Now, let's get in there and get this done before I become so tired that I am tempted to sleep on that empty desk right there."

Tony chuckled and planted a kiss on her cheek and reached for the handle of the door to enter Vance's office. As long as they stuck together they could do anything and Vance was no challenge compared to finding a thirteen-year-old who was missing when they had no leads only twelve hours before. Tony turned the handle and pushed the door open and led Ziva inside before turning around far enough to make sure the door was closed behind him, without slamming it, wishing to make the best impression possible and let everyone know that there was nothing wrong at the moment.


	42. Chapter 42

I Will

* * *

Tony held the door for Ziva and allowed her to enter Vance's office ahead of him. He went in and closed the door quietly behind him and found Ziva's side, taking her hand and knowing that this was going to be a difficult conversation since they hadn't needed to tell anyone and hadn't thought about how to go about telling Vance yet. They hadn't even known for two full days and they only had a home test and a variety of symptoms for results. They hadn't seen a doctor or even called a doctor yet and they hadn't slept in a very long time.

Vance looked carefully at the two, observing everything about them and trying to see what it was that they weren't telling him. How could there be a bigger surprise than them showing up married from Israel? He shook his head and hoped that there were no surprises and there was a simple explanation for all of this. He motioned for them to sit down and they did so.

"So, I wanted to see you, because something's going on," Vance said. "You left the office early yesterday and went home. You came back without getting any sleep and clinging to one another like teenagers in high school and also acting a little less than professionally toward your coworkers. What is your explanation?"

"I'm pregnant," Ziva said in a stronger voice than she thought she could muster.

Vance's eyes widened and zoomed in on Ziva. He hadn't known what to expect of his question, but that was certainly not it. He had seen Ziva's medical file a very long time ago, when she had become an agent and he knew that the chances of that happening weren't as high as a normal person. He could not believe his ears. The ex-Mossad officer, who had gone through hell and back (literally) and should've been dead many years ago (considering the two professions she had found herself in) was sitting in front of him and confidently telling him that she was pregnant. He shook his head and blinked a few times.

"What?" he asked, as though he could not believe his ears.

"We're having a baby," Tony said and exchanged a glance with his wife and smiled at her. "We just found out."

"Um... congratulations... wait a minute! Did you two plan this? Is this what you want? Have you thought about what kind of impact this job can have on a child with both parents involved in it? What was I thinking allowing you two to get married and remain working in the MCRT?"

"Leon," Ziva said quietly, standing up and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Tony and I have not had time to think of all of the questions yet, or rather all of the answers. I'm sure that just like me, all of those questions have run through his mind. We are making no decisions right now. The only thing we know is that we are having a baby, we are happy about it, and we will figure out the rest when we've rested and can think clearly on it."

"And, we'll do it together," Tony said quietly. "We always have and we always will. Don't worry so much Vance. You can trust us on the field, can't you?"

"Yes," he said quietly.

"And, you can trust us off the field too," Ziva reminded him. "We're a team. We work together and we will make sure everything works out fine for us and our child."

Vance nodded his head but looked skeptical.

"What are you going to do about baby-sitters? What are you going to do if you get called in during the night? How long are you going to take for maternity leave? When are you due?"

"Relax a little," Tony said. "We haven't even had the time to call a doctor yet, Director. We've been working non-stop since we found out. We'll get your answers, I promise. Just give us some time to think and work things out. And, please be kind enough to allow my wife to sleep at the very least. She's exhausted and that isn't good for the baby."

Vance nodded, noticing the dark circles under Ziva's eyes. He nodded again and relaxed. "I know I can trust you two. I will get the paperwork done. You two have cost me a lot of paperwork lately. It's not fair."

Ziva let out a quiet giggle and stood up. Tony rose next to her and Vance looked at the two. He moved and hugged them both. "Congratulations," he whispered between them, so they could both hear him, before he let them leave for the day.

They left his office smiling and wanted to celebrate, right after they caught up on some sleep. As they walked down the catwalk they saw that Gibbs, McGee, Abby, Ducky, and Palmer were all looking up at them curiously. Ziva led the way downstairs.

"We're pregnant," she said softly. "I know most of you know, but I thought I would officially announce it."

Another round of congratulations was shared. Abby gave them a squeeze and Tim hugged Ziva and shook Tony's hand. Palmer congratulated them from a comfortable distance. Ducky moved in next.

"You two will make wonderful parents. Congratulations!" he said smiling from ear to ear. "I cannot wait to tell that little one all the stories I have of Tony the movie-addict and Ziva the Israeli-ninja!"

Everyone laughed and then Gibbs stepped in front of Tony and Ziva, his eyes glistening with unshed tears as he looked at both of them. He placed one hand on Tony's shoulder and one hand on Ziva's. He wasn't sure what to say and had so many things and he was genuinely smiling, none of the half-smiling business that he normally did. He gave them a nod and pulled them into a hug and squinted his eyes shut tightly as he shed some of the tears of joy he was feeling for them. When he pulled back they could both see the tears of pride shining on his cheeks.

"Congrats, kids," he said quietly.

"Congratulations to you, Grandpa," Ziva whispered.

Gibbs face spread into a wide smile and the tears only grew thicker in his eyes. "Never thought I would hear those words," he admitted and chuckled a little. "It has a nice ring to it."

Ziva smiled as she shed some of her own tears. "Hey, mushy ninja, you need to sleep. We can get sentimental tomorrow," Tony said next to her and she was about to say something sarcastic in return, but she found tears in his eyes as well, which made her face light up with another smile and pull him into her.


	43. Chapter 43

I Will

* * *

Ziva woke before Tony, after too much needed sleep. She felt stiff from sleeping for so long and she snuggled a little closer to Tony. Life was perfect. If she thought back to several months ago, when she had first seen Tony's apartment after her father died, she would have never pictured this as her future and that was the most amazing thing in the world. She had never seen these changes coming into her life, just as she had never seen any positive changes coming into her life.

Ziva stayed in bed for as long as she could. However, the grumbling in her stomach along with the nausea and need to use the bathroom took over and she got up. She noticed Tony stirring and clinging around him as she moved away from the bed.

Tony was aware that Ziva was no longer with him and he heard the bedroom door closing behind her as she left. He stretched and forced his eyes open. He knew that she needed to use the bathroom. He was grateful that they had today off. They had worked very hard and that was Gibbs generous gift to the two of them. However, Abby and McGee still needed to work and so did Gibbs.

Tony got up, thinking on making some breakfast for Ziva. He figured pancakes was light enough in case her stomach was upset and if she wanted more he could cook some eggs, too. He started some tea, since that was her favorite and began to work. Soon, Ziva came waltzing into the kitchen and snuck up behind him.

"It smells delicious," she whispered in his ear.

He smiled as he faced her and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Tea is ready for you. Decaffeinated," he mentioned quietly and she nuzzled his neck affectionately as a thank you.

She made herself the tea and put on a pot of coffee for Tony, knowing what he preferred and knowing that he needed the caffeine to survive any kind of day. While he finished cooking breakfast she called her doctor and made an appointment for a few weeks out, so they could get all this figured out with the doctor. They would both need the morning off work, but she figured that Gibbs wouldn't mind and she would tackle that tomorrow, since it was their day off today.

Tony came into the living room with the food and placed it in front of her, sitting down next to her with his coffee and his own food.

"Thanks for the coffee, ninja," Tony said happily.

"Of course," she whispered and pressed a kiss to his cheek and began eating.

They spent their day laughing and watching movies. They went for a quiet walk around the middle of the day, when it was the warmest, though it was still a little cold for what Ziva liked. She was laughing to herself about the temperature, knowing that there was really nothing she could do about it. She certainly would have preferred Israel's temperatures to this, but she wouldn't have had Tony if she chose to stay in Israel and it was a sacrifice she had made more than once for him and would make all over again many more times for him.

As they day finished, someone knocked on the door. Tony went to answer it, as Ziva was already half-asleep on the couch again. Tony was surprised to see a girl he didn't know standing in the door. He narrowed his eyes.

"Can I help you?"

"I was looking for McGee and he's not home, so I looked up your address," the girl said.

Ziva looked up and she knew instantly it was Delilah. "He's probably still at work," she said with a yawn. "Try calling him."

"He's not taking my calls," Delilah said with a slight sniff.

Ziva got up, only wearing Tony's shirt and suddenly Delilah's face went red, feeling as though she interrupted something, or about to be something. She stepped back a little as Ziva stalked over to her. Ziva put her hand on the doorframe.

"We are not relationship counselors. Please, do not disturb us with your problems. I do not mean to be rude, but I am still exhausted from the long case we had yesterday... or I guess the day before yesterday. I'm not sure which at this point," Ziva said quietly. "We have been working hard and I know there was paperwork to be done and probably another case. It is a busy time of year for murders. We had the day off because I am pregnant and need plenty of rest. Go home, Delilah. Try calling him again. If you can't, then I'm sorry."

Delilah nodded and walked away, figuring that these two were rather personal and saved their good advice for their close friends. She was right, of course, but that didn't make her like it at all.

"You didn't need to be so hard on her," Tony said closing the door. "But I understand the point of view. Last time we decided to involve ourselves in McGee's girl problems we didn't sleep for three days. Not going through that again."

Ziva smiled. "Exactly," she whispered and pulled Tony back toward the couch to sit and finish the movie that he had picked out for them to watch. They didn't want to return to work the next day, but they had to get into a routine and that was a part of it. They would find the balance sooner or later.


End file.
